A Second Chance
by CherriAme
Summary: No one paid attention to him... if they did, it was to tease and bully him. He is a wallflower, who is easily forgotten; but he is also the person many people admire and idolize. That is until… someone figured out who he really is, and everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

It is a Monday morning once again, but I did not want to get up to start my day; yet I knew that I have to. That is, if I ever want to continue with this façade. Really, I wondered what I was thinking when I asked Kaji-nii that 'I wish for a normal life, so I don't need be home-tutored.'

I never felt so exhausted than I am feeling right now… especially with what happened last night. I'd have to say it was a successful night, since it was a full house, and I had five encores. People do love JIROU, that's a given… but me, on the other hand, is a different story.

"Oi! If you don't hurry up, you'll be late again!" Kaji shouted from outside my bedroom. With a sigh, I slowly got up from my bed, and glanced at my alarm clock. I let out a yawn before I grabbed a set of uniform, and then entered my adjacent bathroom for my morning routines.

I quickly ate my breakfast that Kaji-nii had made me, and before long, I was rushing to school. I could not help but let out a wistful smile when I remembered the opening song to yesterday's concert. The song began playing in my mind once again, even though I was mentally exhausted from singing all night yesterday.

'_Can't you believe? Baby, why don't you believe yourself?' _I hummed the melody as I rushed to school. To tell you the truth, I hate school now, especially since my former tennis teammates, and I have drifted apart, and somehow… everyone has turned against me. The only consolation I have is that I get to see _him_, even though _he_ does not pay attention to me.

I wonder though… I wonder if _he_ pays attention to the other me, instead of the current me. I guess I will have to ask Kaji-nii if _he_ ever came to my concerts.

'_Even if there are risks, I will walk the path I believe in with you.  
Live in a place without regrets, because today will only come around once.'_ I continuously hummed with a small smile on my face. I quickly controlled my expression as I approached the gate. Today will be another long day, I can tell already…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, did you go to JIROU's concert?" an excited female student inquired to her friends with gleeful expression. "I wanted to go see the concert live, but the tickets were sold-out before it was even on sale!"

"I heard that the pre-sale tickets were sold-out too!" one of her friends commented with a sigh, and continued with a wistful look, "I so wanted to see him perform live, and perhaps get an autograph from him,"

"I heard from another friend of mine that JIROU doesn't give out autographs, or let his fans take a picture with him," a third female remarked with a small frown.

"Awwwh, that's too bad," the first female student whined in dismay, and let out a wistful sigh. "I really wanted an autograph or take a picture with him,"

I walked by the group with an unnoticeable smirk etching on the corner of my mouth, and walked to the main building where my first class is. I changed into indoor shoes and exchanged brief greetings with Ootori-kun.

The first class is English, which is the only class that I share with Atobe-kun, Oshitari-kun, and Shishido-kun. I walked into the classroom, ignoring the excited chatters from my female classmates about my concert that I held yesterday, and sat in my seat. I laid my head down on my desk, trying to get some minutes of sleep before the class begins. However, it was futile considering how half the class was squealing and gushing loudly about yesterday.

I looked over to across the room where Atobe-kun, Oshitari-kun, and Shishido-kun sat. The latter was scowling at the level of the noise the girls were producing, while Atobe-kun and Oshitari-kun just ignored the noise with some reading books. The bespectacled boy was reading a thick romance novel, judging from the covers.

"Alright, everyone, back to your assigned seats," the homeroom teacher announced as soon as he walked in with some papers, and continued, "I have some announcements,"

"First of all, we have a culture festival coming up," he stated whilst putting down the papers on the desk, and shot a death glare towards his students as soon as they interrupted, "I will assign two representatives to work on this project. I'm sure you are aware of the deadline, which is in two weeks. Okay, any nominees?"

"I vote for Akutagawa Jirou," one of the females stated without raising her hand, and added, "He doesn't do anything, and all he does is sleep in class. I'm sure he has a lot of time on his hands,"

"While she's at it, I vote that we put on some sort of performance," another female suggested with a sinister calculating smile, and added, "Akutagawa-kun can be the singer, singing the recent hit artist JIROU's songs. So you better not taint his name, Akutagawa,"

The last phrase was directed towards me with hints of malice in her tone, which just made me want to chuckle inwardly as loud as I can. After all, how can I taint my own image?

"This will be interesting," Oshitari-kun stated with a smirk. Without even looking at his direction, I could tell that he was looking at me in amusement.

"Any objections from Akutagawa-kun, and the rest of the class?" the teacher asked as he looked around the room. Whatever protests emitted from anyone was covered by a loud 'NO' from the females of the class, who seemed to be out to get me for unknown reasons.

"Then it's decided," the teacher nodded in agreement as he made a note of 'our' decision. In the end, I let out a reluctant sigh, wondering how I am going to pull this off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lunch time rolled around faster than I thought because next thing I realized, I was leaning against the railing on the school rooftop. Soft wind blew around me as I looked up at the clear sky, trying to work with the lyrics that filled in my head.

'_Once again, today I stand still here to gaze up at the sky__  
__Even when the cold wind breezes through my heart, I cannot move_

_That smile from the other day remains on my eyelids __  
__And it blooms as a single flower in the corner__  
__I moisten it with my tears so that it will not wither._

_I cannot hear your voice, I can't hear it.__  
__It's a thought that repeats over and over.__  
__Please don't disappear, it's fine if it's just an illusion__  
__Stay by my side and hold me, as it was on that day…'_

I immediately took out my notepad and wrote down the lyrics that I just sung in my mind. Once I finished writing the words, I began to sing it as softly as I could so that I would not attract attention. I silently wondered if this would be another sad relationship song that I would be releasing. Either way, I had a feeling that it would be a hit song amongst my fans.

I glanced at the lyric that I had written down, and let out a soft smile when I realized how beautiful it is. I could not help but wonder how this song will sound in the studio, and when I sing it live. With these thoughts in mind, I continued to write the rest of the lyrics whilst crossing out some lines every now and then.

By the time lunch hour came to an end, I only managed to write two more verses to the song. Well, at least it was progress. I grabbed my belongings and slowly descend down the stairs as I continued to think how the rest of the song should go.

'I can't believe ballads are my forte,' I shook my head in disbelief, but nevertheless, I could not stop a smile from forming.

"Oi, gaki! We're going to be late for our appointment!" Kaji-nii shouted from across the campus with a mega horn. I tried really hard to resist the urge not to slap my face in embarrassment and hide under a rock. Everyone, and I mean, _everyone_ was looking at me with some of puzzled expressions, and some with amused expressions.

Perhaps it was due to my leaving after lunch hour for the past two years. I mean, as much as I want to have a normal life, and attend school like a normal person, it was difficult with my celebrity alter ego. Which is why, Kaji-nii pulled some strings and called in a couple of favors from Hyoutei's administration personnel, and headmaster to let me leave school after lunch.

Today, however, I have a photo shoot with a magazine called _Potato_. The following day, I have another photo shoot with a different magazine company. I guess Kaji-nii is trying to promote the other me, so that I will be more famous. But I wonder how high I can go… I wonder if, in the near future, I will be more well-known than Atobe-kun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as I entered the car, I tossed my bag over to the backseat, and took off my glasses. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Kaji-nii looking at me with a slight amused expression, and shook his head at my direction.

"What? You know I'm nearsighted," I muttered in response at the silent inquiry.

"Your power is not even 1.0, you're not blind," he retorted with a sigh, and left our discussion at that. Yes, even though I don't really need my glasses, I always wear them because it gave me a sense of disguise.

We did not talk for the rest of the trip, except for the radio playing some of my songs, and other artists. I barely paid attention to what was playing on the radio since my mind was focused on the upcoming culture festival. Before I can come up with a solution to my dilemma, we arrived to the location of the set.

I was dragged to the dressing room by my stylists for hair and make-up. As per usual, my slightly curly hair was straightened, and dyed to a chestnut brown shade. Once my hair is dried, and styled to look like a bishounen, as my sister would say, I grabbed my contact lens and other accessories. Out of all the colored contact lens that I was given, I chose my usual color of light blue; and for the accessories, an earring, some rings, and a necklace.

"Are you done yet?" Kaji-nii shouted from the other side of the dressing room door. I gave once over to my appearance, and with a smirk, I slipped into my other persona before I opened the door.

"I should be used to how you look, but somehow, my mind can't wrap around your new image," Kaji-nii mumbled as he gestured towards the camera crew standing across some colorful backdrops, and sofas. Waiting obediently on one of the sofas was a dog, a collie to be exact.

'A photo shoot with a dog?' I wondered with an eyebrow raised, and slowly approached towards the said animal. I was silently awed at how well trained it was, but then again, I know that this specie is highly intelligent.

The camera crew took various photos of me, and the dog, whose name turned out to be Dai. Some looked overly ridiculous, and some looked down right hilarious. In some pictures, I was playing with Dai, whether it was a simple game of fetch or asking him to do some tricks. In other pictures, we simply just sat down, doing some simple yet elegant poses. But overall, there were some pictures that looked great, and fit the standard to be in the magazine. Once we were done, I was covered in dog drools, furs, paw prints, and mud. I was greatly in need of a shower.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearing seven o'clock when my individual pictures were finished. While I was in the dressing room, Kaji-nii had told me that he needed to return home to finish some of his university homework, and told me to go home by myself.

Thus, I took some time to wash the dye out of my hair, and grabbed a set of simple yet comfortable attire. That is, a pair of black jeans, patterned beige colored shirt that is unbuttoned half way, black leather jacket, a top hat, and black boots.

My hair remained to be straight due to the straightener that I used earlier. I did not feel like washing my hair a few times for it return to its slightly curled state. Besides, I doubt anyone would recognize me in this state at this late. I did not remove my accessories either, but I did remember to remove my contact lens. I stuffed my Hyoutei uniform into my backpack, and extended my greetings toward the staff members before leaving the studio.

The night's crisp air breezed by me, once again reminding me that autumn season is almost over. I rubbed my hands together before I put them in my pockets to keep warm. I quickly stifled a yawn and began trekking towards the station.

'Today was a long day,' I noted while I yawned for the second time in the same minute. 'I have to do my best tomorrow too,' I told myself with a small nod.

The train ride home was uneventful, to say the least. It was crowded with businessmen, businesswomen, and other workers, trying to get to his or her home in the quickest time possible. The usual, I would say.

I almost bolted out of the train when the train reached to Tokyo, and nearly flew down the stairs. I let out a relieved sigh, and began walking home, whilst trying to make sure that no one was following me. Fans stalking me are scary, but the worst kinds are perverts.

Usually, Kaji-nii and I return home together, but since he had some tests to study for his university classes, he left during my photo shoots. I stifled a yawn as I walked down the busy streets of Tokyo, and wondered where I should stop for my dinner, and if I should bring some to my older brother as well.

Normally, I did not mind cooking for myself since my parents moved to Kanagawa Prefecture with my younger sister. Mainly because my father's occupation transferred him there, and since my sister did not want to attend Hyoutei, she has transferred to Rikkai Dai. Kaji-nii, on the other hand, lives in a dorm of Todai, but occasionally comes to visit me in my apartment.

I originally thought that he would not have time to be my manager, which is true most of the time because he was rarely there. However, he does try to make time to come to my concerts, and interviews… half the time. Well, not that I blamed him, considering I am not making an effort to find a new manager. The last one I had was unreliable, to say the least.

Nevertheless, my feet stopped in front of a restaurant that was not crowded, and looked descent. I did not realize what kind of shop it was until a waitress gave me a menu. It turned out to one of the many fancy ramen places in Tokyo, but I could care less due to my hunger. Once I placed my order, a simple chicken curry rice, kimchi udon, and green tea ice cream, I looked outside the window while marveling at how busy Tokyo is at this hour.

Even though it was nearing eight o'clock, I still have two more places to hit after my meal. That is, a vocal lesson at nine o'clock, and a dance lesson at eleven o'clock. As usual, I would not be sleeping until around two in the morning. I wistfully sighed at the thought.

"Sir, your order," a waitress said as she placed a plateful of curry rice, and the udon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was halfway through my udon when some familiar faces entered the restaurant. I pretended that I did not see them and resumed with my meal. Of course, things did not go as I planned since some of them are walking towards me.

"Jirou-senpai?" I heard Ootori inquired questionably. He sounded like he was unsure if the person he was referring to was me or not. I inwardly chuckled at this scene; but nevertheless looked up to his gaze.

"I'd never thought I'd see Atobe-_san_ in an establishment as this," I mused with a smirk, making a small gesture towards them to have a seat. Since there were only five of them, they somehow managed to fit into this small booth.

"Ore-sama was forced to come," the tennis captain responded with as much dignity as possible.

"More like blackmailed," Mukahi commented snidely, and completely ignored Atobe's heated glare because he was too busy looking at a certain someone.

"Wow, Jirou-senpai, you look different," Ootori commented as he eyed at my outfit and appearance. I merely shrugged in response and continued to finish my meal.

"I've been wondering," Oshitari started suavely as he plopped his elbows on the table, slightly leaning forward to gauge my expression, "Why have you been leaving school by lunch?"

"Why do you want to know?" I responded calmly with a small smirk, and glanced at a wall clock placed across the room. "You know what, let's talk about this some other time. I'm going to be late," that was all I said whilst standing up just as my cell phone rang.

"_Nakamura-san, good evening,"_ I greeted after glancing at my caller, and walked towards the cashier, "Can I get my ice cream to go instead? Also, do you deliver?"

"Of course, sir," a waiter responded with a small bow, and asked, "Where would you like it to be delivered?"

"Another set of my order to this address," I answered after scribbling Kaji-nii's dorm address, and then I took out some cash to pay for everything.

"_Eh? Canceled? Both of them?" _I inquired in surprised as I watched the waiter rang up my bill, _"Ah, I see. Thank you for this opportunity then. Alright, good night, Nakamura-san_,"

"Looks like whatever appointment you had was cancelled," Oshitari said from behind me, startling the heck out of my soul. I just pocketed my cell phone and told the waiter to keep my change whilst another waitress handed me my ice cream.

"You do realize that it's rude to listen in on another person's conversation," I pointed out as I walked out of the restaurant with Hyoutei tennis regulars tailing behind me.

"It's also rude to ignore a friend," the tensai responded smoothly with a knowing smirk. I merely took a bite out of my ice cream, and walked towards the direction of my apartment.

"Hmm, really?" I responded in disbelief tone as I glanced towards the group from the corner of my eyes, and added, "Something I'm _sure_ you guys haven't done,"

"If it's about that, we can explain," Atobe finally said something towards me. I merely glanced towards him, waiting to see what he has to say with a deadly calm expression that I normally used in my photo shoots.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

"Well?" I prompted impatiently as I stopped in the middle of the road to glance at the group. "Look, I understand that we rarely have time to meet, considering the fact that I am not a part of the tennis team. But you know…. the least you can do is greet me or sometimes include me in your group for lunch," I stated with a frown.

"I--" Ootori started with an apologetic expression.

"You know what, forget it. What's done is done, and I already forgave you guys for it," I continued with a sigh and a heavy heart, "It's partly my fault for being absent for some many days as well. Perhaps, we can start over… that is, if that's what you guys want to,"

"Che, of course. You don't even have to ask," Shishido responded with his arms crossed, and looked away from me, trying to act all macho-like.

"Now that I really look at you," Mukahi started with his eyes slightly narrowed, and continued after letting out a loud gasp, "You look like the singer JIROU,"

I merely chuckled in half-amusement and half-nervously whilst I scrambled in my brain to find a topic to this conversation's direction. "Really?" that was all I could say in response. Curses, I should have worn a pair of sunglasses as well, but then… that'd be suspicious.

"My older sister could not stop talking about him," Mukahi scoffed as he scratched the back of his head, and continued, "She was literally brawling her eyes out when she found out that the Sunday's concert tickets were sold-out. Can you believe it; the guy's so popular even though he just started two years ago,"

That is true… I just started my singing career two years ago, yet my popularity keeps soaring. I was discovered by a talent scout of Sony Music Entertainment at a park when I was playing my guitar, quietly singing the first song I had written. In a whirlwind frenzy, I was thrust into various vocal lessons, and before I realized it, my first singles was released. Basically that was how I began this career.

I let out a yawn as I tried to rub away my sleepiness and muttered, "I'm going to go home and sleep," Before anyone has a chance to stop me, I walked away from the group and merged with the busy crowds.

My throat was hurting from the concert, and my body ached from all the dancing I did. Despite all these pains, I was glad that my fans enjoyed the concert, and had fun singing along with me. As soon as I reached to my apartment, I quickly fell asleep on my bed without changing my clothes.

* * *

From the loud noises, I hazily realized that Kaji-nii has let himself in once again. Perhaps, I should change my locks so that my older brother does not leisurely let himself in whenever he pleases. Then again… he would be banging on the door, and disturbing the neighbors.

I merely sighed and snuggled deeper into my bed as I pulled my blanket over my head, thus pretending that I did not hear my brother at all. "Wake up or you're going to be late for the photo shoot," Kaji-nii shouted as he pulled away my blanket, and promptly dropped me on the ground.

Due to my busy schedule today, I am not attending school today, which I am sure that the others would be questioning about. On a busy day as this, I normally skipped school, but even then… I do not return home until past midnight. Today, I have another photo shoot and an interview with a magazine called _Duet_; afterwards, a meeting with my boss, vocal lesson and dance lesson at its usual time.

I let out a sigh as I turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel. "Another busy day as usual," I mumbled before tossing my wet towel into a laundry basket. Once I was fully dressed, I slipped on my sunglasses and left my room.

"Are you coming with me, aniki? Or am I going by myself?" I inquired with an eyebrow raised while I grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator, and put it in my bag. "Oh wait; you have midterms this week, huh?" I added in realization, and let out a small smile, "That's okay; I'll just go by myself. Don't worry about it; good luck with your tests,"

"Sorry, Jirou," that was all Kaji-nii responded with a frown. I had a feeling that he was feeling guilty from missing all my activities, but there was nothing I can do.

"Like I said, don't worry about it," I answered with a delicate shrug, and added with a grin, "I know how much you want to be there for me, but I also know that your dream is also important. Didn't you say that you wanted to head into the medical field?"

"Thanks for understanding," Kaji-nii replied with a small smile.

"You're treating me and Rina-chan after your tests are done. Not to those cheap restaurants, but the expensive kinds," I called out with a grin whilst I slipped on my boots, and then I readjusted my scarf. "Okay, I'll be going now. Don't forget to lock up when you leave,"

"I know, I know," that was all I heard Kaji-nii said as I turned around the corner to descend down the stairs.

* * *

I entered an extravagant coffee shop to get my morning coffee, even though I rarely drink the said beverage. I vaguely wondered if Atobe-san and the other regulars were following my routine because there they were….Sitting around a round table, sipping and eating their meals, as if they had all the time in the world.

I ordered a cup of coffee, despite knowing that there would be a buffet table for me at the studio. I glanced at the wall clock, silently noting that it was 6:34 AM, which is still too early for me to be up and perky. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the Hyoutei regulars stood up and walked towards me.

I inwardly sighed, and almost shook my head because I knew that they wanted to continue the conversation we had yesterday. I, however, did not have time to sit leisurely and discuss whatever it is they wanted to talk about.

"Jirou-senpai, are you not going to school today?" Ootori inquired as they circled around me, purposely or not, I was not sure.

"Sir, your order," a waitress responded as she handed me my cup of coffee. "Your ride will be here momentarily," she also added.

I let out a chuckle and a word of gratitude before I paid her for my drink. I always visited this shop whenever I had an early photo shoot to go to, and always ordered the same thing. While I waited, I always called for a taxi to take me to the set location; which is why, the waiters and waitresses knew to call for taxi for me ahead of time. Of course, they have no idea who my alter-ego is, and I have no intention of revealing the information either.

"Not today," I answered to my kouhai's earlier inquiry, taking a sip of my ready-made coffee, and added, "I'm a 'little' busy today with my work,"

"What do you mean? Explain," Atobe-san demanded in his usual tone, but I merely shrugged in response and busied myself with my drink so that I would not have to reply to him.

"I have a job now," I started carefully, trying to decide how much I should tell them, and continued with a chuckle, "Well, it might be a career. Regardless, I might be dropping out of school in near future because I rarely have time,"

"What? Jirou-senpai, education is important," Ootori rebutted earnestly with concerned expression. I almost felt guilty for worrying him with my situation, but I quickly looked away from the group and gazed outside the store.

"What's so great about your job that you have to stop high school?" Shishido inquired with a slight glare.

"Just tell everyone that I'll be back for the cultural festival," I responded with a firm gaze towards the dash specialist, and added softly, "Maybe… just maybe… I might explain everything to you guys then,"

* * *

I arrived to the set location, and discarded my almost empty coffee in a trash bin outside. I quickly went to the bathroom to brush my teeth again, because coffee stained teeth are unsightly for photo shoots. Once finished, I popped a couple of mints into my mouth, and walked to the dressing room for my hair and make-up. I had to make sure that none of the staff from the magazine company saw me, Akutagawa Jirou. It would be hard to explain why a regular person was in a restricted area as this.

The only people who knew about my dual identities are those hired by my agency. At first, I did not want anyone to know that an average student, Akutagawa Jirou, happened to be the popular idol, JIROU. Of course, my boss had ways with words that he made these staff members promised not to reveal my secret, or he was going to make sure that other companies would not hire them. Well… Sony Music Entertainment is a rather huge company that has multiple branches across the world, so it does not seem like an empty threat coming from my boss.

Almost half an hour later, I walked out of the dressing room fully dressed as my alter ego. My hair dyed in chestnut brown shade, my usual accessories in place, and I was adorning casual yet fancy attire.

"Sorry for the wait," I started with a smile towards _Duet_ personnel, and greeted, "Good morning, and I apologize if you had to wait for a long time,"

"No, no, it's fine. It was partly our fault for making you come this early," one of the staff members responded with many bows. "I look forward to working with you,"

"Likewise," I answered with a small bow, and made my way towards the set for the photo shoots.

"We're doing a winter theme, so I hope you won't mind changing into various outfits," a _Duet_ director stated, to which I merely nodded in response, and he continued, "We'll be doing a four-page spread, and on the fourth page, there will be an interview with you. Is that okay with you, JIROU-san?"

"Sounds like a plan," I responded with a slight nod, and added, "Please treat me well,"

As soon as the photographers grabbed the cameras, I controlled my expression and began posing. Between many lights flashing, and cold air breezing a few feet away from my face, I do not remember how long I was standing there before I was whisked away back into the dressing room to change.

My stylist brushed my hair a couple of times before she began braiding the right side. I was given a simple silk white shirt and black leather pants to change into and then thrust back in front of the cameras. I nearly snickered out loud when I saw how I looked in a mirror. I could not believe how a hair style change and different attires can completely change my image.

"Heh, if only I was ten years younger," my stylist stated with a chuckle as she pushed me towards the center of set. I have no idea how to respond to her comment, seriously.

* * *

After a short break, I was sitting in a chair across from my interviewer with a tape recorder sitting innocently in the middle. I was dressed in a comfortable white T-shirt, black vest, black jeans, and black boots. Orange used to be my favorite color because it reminded me of a sunset that I saw with Atobe-_san_. But now… I realized that I've been wearing black a lot; it's not because of my darkened feelings towards _him_, but because this color goes great with anything. Even to me, this seems like a futile excuse.

"We'll be starting the interview now, is that okay with you?" my interviewer questioned with a notepad and a pen in her hands. Once I gave a confirmation nod, she pressed a button on the recorder and began with her inquires.

"I'll be asking you ten questions, please give me your honest opinion," she requested earnestly while I leaned against my chair and tried to get comfortable. "Basically, I would like to have a profile of you for the magazine, so that your fans can get to know you better,"

"Alright," I nodded in response, since I did not see any harm in that.

"JIROU is your stage name, would you mind telling us your real name?" the interviewer started with her notepad and pen ready to write down my response.

"I'm sorry, revealing my real name would be troubling my family. I have a feeling that reporters and fans would be inquiring them with unnecessary questions and such," I answered with a small smile, and added, "The name 'Jirou' is my first name, but I would not be revealing my family name,"

"When is your birthday?" the interviewer continued as she wrote down my previous response.

"May 5th," I responded without any hesitance, and added, "My sister's birthday is close to mine, so usually I celebrate it with her first on my birthday, and on the day of her birthday, we celebrate it with my family,"

"I see, I see," the interviewer nodded in understanding as she wrote down my response before continuing with another inquiry, "Can you tell us who is in your family?"

"I have my parents, my older brother, and my younger sister," I replied as I plopped my elbow on the chair's arm, and crossed my legs, "My older brother is five years older than me, and my sister is two years younger than me,"

"Are there any hobbies you do in your free time?" that was another question, which I had a feeling that would make me, the idol side, seem like me, the normal person side. Confusing, I know.

"I used to play tennis as a hobby back in middle school, but lately, there hasn't been any time for me to play. So, if I have time, I'd like to get back into that. I also like reading manga, but I've been into playing piano, and guitar recently. The thing I enjoy doing the most when I have time is going to beaches and watching the sunrise, if I wake up early, or watching the sunset. It would be especially good to go with your partner, ne?" I answered with a bittersweet smile.

"You were discovered by Sony Music Entertainment, how did that happened?" she asked in surprised tone.

"I was playing my guitar at a park one day, singing a song that I had written. I was really depressed that day, and singing soothes me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't good playing guitar or singing, so I was really surprised when the talent scout handed me his business card. He told me that I have talent, and that I could be become big," I started with a fond smile on my face as I recalled the event, "Of course, I was suspicious at first, and consulted with my family to see if I should pursue in this career. When I was told me to do what my heart tells me to do, I decided to see how far I can go with this career. So when I met the company to see what I'm supposed to do next, I was really surprised to see that the talent scout who found me was actually the boss of Sony Music Entertainment. That's my story in a nutshell,"

* * *

After another hour of the interview, I was having a lunch break at a restaurant nearby before I headed to the company to see my boss. The interview was rather tedious since some of the questions were a bit personal. Such as, "What type of girl would you prefer" and "If you were to take your girlfriend out on a date, where would you go?" These are also the questions that I knew my fans would like to know, but at the same time, I feel troubled answering them.

I took a sip of a drink before I ate the last bits of my pasta. Normally, I would have taken my time to eat my meal, but I knew that the sooner I get to the company and meet with my boss, the sooner I get some time off before my vocal lessons. The photo shoot and interview with _Duet_ ended faster than I thought, so if all plans go well, I'd have time to go see Rina-chan.

With these thoughts in mind, I headed to the train station and set my location to Minato ward. The train ride was unexpectedly uneventful because I did not wear any disguise. I supposed this was due to the fact that it was during school hour, so there were fewer fans at this hour. That was what I liked to think. However, I still could not shake off an uneasy feeling of how some older women were eyeing me rather perversely.

Nevertheless, I arrived to Sony's headquarter, and greeted some of the staff members with a cheerful smile. As I waited for the elevator, I could not help but feel uneasy and nervous, which when I think about it, is rather normal whenever I goes to meet with my boss. I never knew that a 'Ding!' from an elevator could scare me so much, though.

"Ah, Jirou-kun, it's nice to see you after all these times," my boss, a middle-aged man, greeted me with a chuckle and gestured me to take a seat. "How have you been?" he inquired with an eyebrow raised. I supposed he was trying to start a small talk before getting into a serious conversation.

"I've been rather well, sir. How about you?" I responded politely with a nod.

"That's good, that's good," he answered, repeating the second part of his sentence in a low tone, and continued, "There have been offers for you to be a voice actor for various voice acting roles. I'm not sure which ones you want to accept, so here's the list. You can go over them and select the ones you want to do. There also have been offers for you to act in dramas, but I'm rather unsure of your acting skills. If you would like to challenge yourself, by all means, I wouldn't mind if you accept the job,"

"Wow…" really, that was the most intelligent thing I could ever say at a moment like this.

"I'll give you some time to think this through. I expect you to have an answer by this weekend," my boss stated as he handed a thick pile of paperwork. I thanked him once I promptly put away the folders, and bid farewell to him before leaving the office.

* * *

I had some time before school hour ends, so I went back to my apartment to wash the hair dye off., The temporary hair dye rinsed off faster than I thought, but the straightener worked rather well than I would have liked. The usual, I would say. When I looked in the mirror, some parts of my hair looked like it had been highlighted, and I did not have time to go through another rinse cycle.

Well, I had time, but I just did not want to repeat the process. Laziness, you know. I grabbed a white T-shirt, a pair of dark colored denim jeans, black jacket, a black scarf, and a pair of boots. I supposed I should thank modeling for my fashion sense…

Once I finished getting dressed, I grabbed my sunglasses, and wallet before heading out. It would take me about an hour to get to my destination, but I think it would be well-worth the trip to see my sister's face, and my former rivals in tennis.

* * *

I never felt so happy to finally get off the train, and briskly start walking towards Rikkai Dai Fuzoku's high school division. Yes, my sister is a first year in the said high school. I still have a few minutes before the school ends, and the afternoon tennis session begins. I glanced around the campus, and noted that some of the students were let out early.

I tried to ignore the loud whisperings and gushing as I leaned against the wall whilst waiting for my sister to come out. I almost wanted to hit my head against the wall when some students started taking out his or her cell phone to take a picture of me. At this moment, I am thanking my luck stars for the creation of sunglasses.

"Can you be even more obvious?" my sister inquired with a loud sigh before she started shooing away the people surrounding me.

"What, would you rather I wear boa or something? Because I can be flashier, you know," I responded in an amused tone, and let out a chuckle at her rather embarrassed expression.

"Who is this, Rina-chan? Your boyfriend?" Niou Masaharu, if I remembered correctly, inquired with an eyebrow raised. I looked behind him to see the rest of Rikkai Dai regulars standing in their yellow tennis uniform glory.

"He's my brother," Rina responded in flat tone, which only made me sweat drop, and made me remember countless times she had to say in the past. It was mostly due to the fact that we do not like siblings.

"You mean, you're Marui's fanboy!?" Niou all but shouted in surprised, while I just gave a small smile and took off my sunglasses.

"Was," I corrected politely, and continued, "I don't play tennis anymore. I have other priorities now,"


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

"Do explain," Yukimura Seiichi stated politely with a smile that somehow sent shivers down my spine. I merely responded to his demand with a tight smile of my own, silently wondering if I should reveal the secret to them.

"Ah, aniki, it's rare that you come to visit," Rina interrupted nervously, eyeing at the tennis captain wearily, and added, "Did you get some time off or something?"

"Actually, my jobs finished faster than I thought," I replied with a chuckle as I played with my skull necklace, and added, "I have a few hours to spend before my lessons start, and I was wondering if you would like to have early dinner with me after practice. Oh, and I have some things I want you to have,"

"If it's the CDs, and the DVD, you know we can buy them like normal people," Rina stated with a frown but nevertheless accepted the bag I gave her. It contained the Concert DVD (which is yet to be released to the public), and my single that was released a couple of weeks ago. Both of them autographed, of course.

"You know, it's rude to invite only Rina-chan," Niou interrupted with a sly grin, and put one arm around me, "After all, it's rare to see Marui's fanboy around these parts,"

"Do refrain from inviting yourself," I sighed as I pushed off his arm, and continued, "But since you 'troubled' yourself by looking after my sister… I supposed I'll treat you to dinner,"

"You talk weird," Kirihara butted in, earning a smack from Sanada for his rude comment.

"I apologize for Niou's brash behavior, and Kirihara's," his doubles partner, Yagyuu Hiroshi, said with a slight bow. I gave a slight wave of my hand in response, silently stating that it was no trouble besides the fact that my wallet might be anorexic afterward.

"Where's Kaji-nii?" Rina inquired with an eyebrow raised as she put away my gift in her bag, and slapped Marui's hand away from her bag.

"He has some exams to take today," I answered with a slight smile, and added, "So I went to the location alone. Tomorrow is my day off, well… I have one job, but I'm free afterward. So if you're not doing anything…"

"Let's go shopping!" Rina exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed my hand, and dragged me a couple of feet away from the group, "There's this really cute dress that I've been wanting, and I also saw some shoes that goes great with it,"

Shopping, I would have never guessed. I chuckled inwardly but nevertheless, agreed with her suggestion. After all, we rarely spend time together due to my hectic schedule; however, whenever we do, it was always shopping. I supposed her being my sister partly has to do with this situation… perhaps having an older brother as an idol can lower one's self-esteem.

"Really? I also saw some outfits that I'm sure you'll look great in it," I replied with a grin, and continued solemnly, "Beside that, how was the concert?"

"So majorly awesome that I can't stop gushing about it! Mom was the same too!" Rina replied excitedly with stars in her eyes. I feel disturbed now… maybe I should not have asked because I now have a mental image of my mom fangirling over me. Then again, it was the first concert that I held so I was greatly nervous about how my fans would think, and if I could meet their expectations. Still... regardless... the mental image was so wrong on many levels.

"Oh please, don't ask her about JIROU's concert," Kirihara Akaya whined as he hid his face behind his palm, and remarked, "She wouldn't stop talking about it all day,"

"Well, it's not like you guys went to the concert," Rina retorted with a frown.

"Trust me, we were there," Yukimura, Yanagi, Niou, Kirihara, and Yagyuu responded in unsaid union. The five of them blinked in surprised as they looked at one another, while I just raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"I had to listen to my sister complaining that our seats were too far away from the stage," Niou grumbled as he cleaned his ear with his pinky, and added, "All the time during the concert, and when we got home. Oh, and the next day as well,"

"Really? I got a front row seat," Rina grinned triumphantly at the trickster, and blatantly ignored various forms of surprised expressions from the Rikkai Dai tennis regulars.

A few weeks before the tickets were on pre-sale, I had given my parents, and Rina the front row seats ticket. I had also given the staff members a ticket each, in case they wanted to see the concert, as my way of thanking them.

"Now that I think about it," Niou started after he finished chasing my sister around half-heartedly a couple of times, "You look like the idol JIROU," he stated a devious smirk as he eyed at me critically. It made me feel like I was under a microscope and observed in the most scrutinizing ways.

"Hmm… really? I get that a lot lately," that was all I stated with a sweat drop trickling down my neck.

* * *

The tennis practice seemed foreign to me since it had been a couple of years since I participated in one. I merely sat in one of the bleachers, trying not to release my idol vibe despite the fact that many students were staring at me. My sister happened to be a manager for the tennis team, something I only found out earlier.

"Oi! Akutagawa-kun, want to play a match with me?" Marui Bunta called out from across the tennis court. I simply gave him a glance with an eyebrow raised, and let out a smile in response.

"No thanks, Marui-kun," I answered as calmly yet politely as I can, and ignored befuddled expressions from the self-proclaimed tensai and his teammates. In the past, I would have participated in a heartbeat, but now… But now… tennis is not my game anymore.

I just sat back and watch the Rikkai Dai tennis team train for the upcoming tournament, or something. I was unsure what was going within the tennis world, since I have been distant from it. My sister knew not to speak about the subject, so every time we see each other, we talk about anything and everything… but tennis.

"So is there a reason why you came all the way to Kanagawa to see me?" Rina inquired as she watched the regulars running around the track. She held a clipboard in her hand, and gave me a quick glance before focusing her attention on the tennis team.

"Do I need a reason to see my own sister?" I responded with a smirk, and blatantly ignored Rina hitting her face with her palm.

"You're emitting idol vibe again," she commented in a deadpanned tone.

I could not help but laugh at her comment before I controlled my laughter to tell her the news. "I got some offers for voice acting and for acting in a couple of dramas. I wanted to ask your opinion to see if I should accept one or two of them,"

"Well, I think you should, but that's just me," Rina responded as she turned to look at me before continuing with her explanation, "It all depends on whether you would have time with your work and school schedule. I mean, I don't want you to accept it and have no time to take care of yourself,"

"I kind of want to see how far I can go, you know," I stated in a low tone, standing up from my seat whilst looking out at the tennis team still running around the field. "But at the same time, I'm not sure because of the workload,"

"That's something you'll have to figure it out yourself, aniki," she answered with a small shrug, and added, "I don't think experiencing different things is a bad idea. Then again, I don't know anything about the world you are living in now. Maybe you should ask mom to see what she thinks. She always seem to have an answer,"

"Thanks," I replied with a smile, and let out a chuckle when Niou tripped Kirihara whilst the latter was turning around the corner.

"Niou-senpai!" Kirihara screeched as he immediately got up and started chasing after a laughing trickster. "Come back here!!"

"Ne, I'll come to your school tomorrow instead," Rina stated as she chuckled at the sight of Kirihara falling down again. "After all, you have another photo shoot tomorrow, right? So it'll be faster if I came to your site location,"

"It's with _Wink-Up_, and they said they'll call me with more information sometime today," I informed with a sigh.

"What are you two muttering about?" Niou inquired as he ran up to the both of us. I merely gave him a smile, but did not say anything in response since I had no intention to let him know what I was talking earlier.

"You know…" he trailed off while scratching the back of his head, and looked at me with lazy eyes, "the more I looked at you, the more you look at the idol JIROU. Are you sure you're not him?"

"What makes you think that I am him?" I retorted with an eyebrow raised. I was inwardly impressed that he could figure out my well-hidden secret. Then again… this is Niou Masaharu, the infamous trickster with sharp observation skills.

* * *

"Out of all the places that we could have chosen, why are we at a karaoke bar?" Kirihara whined as we stood outside the said place.

"If you don't like it, you could've gone home like Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, and Jackal did," Marui responded as he popped his bubblegum, and added, "Besides, this is the only place where they let you sing the newest hit songs,"

"Yep, it'll be a 'good practice' for you, aniki," Rina answered with a sly grin as she looked up at me, and added, "I heard from Kaji-nii that you're chosen to sing at your cultural festival,"

"Tell the whole world, why don't you?" I grumbled in response as I ran my hand through my hair, and added in an almost teasing tone, "Are you trying to purposely torture me?"

"Well, this way, you'll have a chance to practice," Rina replied as she turned to look up at me.

I promptly responded with a, "Practice for an impromptu concert? I don't think so, babe. I could be spending more time to do something else… like sleep, for example. Besides, we're here to have fun and hang out, not practice trying to sound like a pro,"

"…So who's paying?" Kirihara butted in as we entered to the karaoke bar, and stood by the counter.

"I guess I will, since I invited you guys," I sighed exasperatedly as I took out my wallet, and went to talk to one of the staff members. I paused in my mid-step, and turned to face the group, "Is there a certain time you need to be home by? I have an appointment to go to in a couple of hours, so I'll be leaving by 7:30 at the latest,"

"We'll go by around that time as well," Marui nodded in agreement, popping his bubblegum once again.

"Thank you for treating us," Yagyuu Hiroshi said in gratitude with a nod. I merely gave a smile in response before I led the group towards our assigned booth. Another staff member came by with some menus for us to order our food, and left immediately afterwards so that we have some time to consider what to order.

"Alright, who's singing first?" Niou inquired as he tossed the menu onto a table and went to the karaoke machine. I did not say anything, and focused my attention on the menu; it was mainly because I did not want to be chosen. I was unsure if I can sound different than I do as JIROU, and I did not want to experiment in front of these people either.

"What songs do they have?" Kirihara inquired as he went to his senpai and peered over Niou's shoulders to see the music book. "Oh cool! They have JIROU's latest songs. Like… _Bweak a Roodo_,"

"Baka, it's pronounced _Break a Road_," Niou responded as he lightly hit Kirihara on top of his head, and scolded, "You should be able to pronounce English words correctly by now. Don't tell me you've been sleeping in class,"

"Niou-senpai, you know that English isn't my strongest subject," Kirihara scowled in response, and crossed his arms before saying, "And why are you lecturing me! Gosh!"

"Masaharu, why don't we eat first?" Yagyuu suggested after glancing at the clock on the wall, and added, "I'm afraid we'll skip dinner if we start singing now,"

"Yeah, why don't we do that?" Rina chirped as she clapped once in agreement, and turned to face me, "Aniki, is that okay with you?"

"No problem," I answered with a smirk, and inquired, "Why don't you decide what to order while I go take this call? Rina-chan, if someone comes to take our order, I'll have kitsune udon with egg and eel sushi. Oh, and green tea," I stood up from my seat, placed my menu on the table before walking out of the booth with my vibrating cell phone in hand.

"Hello? Takayuki-san, good evening," I greeted as I closed the door behind me and walked a few yards away from the karaoke booth we rented.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Niou inquired as soon as I walked in. He looked at me with calculating gaze and an eyebrow raised. I wonder if he knows my secret… Regardless of that little worry, I noticed that the food has arrived, which then made me wonder if I had been gone for a long time.

"Ah, nothing of importance," I answered with a wave of my hand, even though I was inwardly in a turmoil. I knew that I have a photo shoot tomorrow, but I was unsure of the location and the time because I have yet to ask Kaji-nii about the information. The earlier phone call had just confirmed my dreadful feelings.

I grabbed my udon bowl and a pair of chopsticks before I sat down next to my sister. When she looked at me worriedly, I merely gave her a reassuring smile in response… at least what I hoped was a reassuring smile. It would be hard to pull off this assignment, and I can only hope it would not be too difficult.

"Can you come meet me at my school tomorrow, Rina-chan?" I requested with a strained smile, and put the udon bowl down on the table to grab my green tea cup. "I'm afraid I might be there a bit longer than I thought," I added as an afterthought.

"You mean…" she trailed off with her eyes widen in surprised and shocked.

"Exactly," that was all I stated as I put down my tea cup, and then plopped a sushi into my mouth.

"Stop speaking in riddles," Kirihara whined as he waved his chopsticks around, and continued, "We want to know what you're talking about too!"

"Akaya, don't butt into other people's affairs," Yagyuu chided with a sigh, and mumbled, "Why am I stuck babysitting him?"

"Hey! I heard that!" the aforementioned person retorted in a scandalous tone.

We soon finished eating our meals, and piled the dirty dishes in the middle of the table. Marui and Niou were currently hogging the music selection binder, whilst Kirihara was complaining to his two seniors to let him see the selection binder. Yagyuu, on the other hand, was sitting on the sofa across from Rina and I, reading a book.

I held my cell phone in my hand, updating my blog as I ignored the loud chatters from my companions. Rina silently sat beside me, eating the sushi pieces that I did not finished. I supposed hearing the news made me lose my appetite.

_Everyone~~~!!  
Did you have fun at my concert ?  
The time I spent with all of you, I had so~~~ much fun that I didn't want the night to end  
I'm going to keep doing my best, so I'm counting on your support~~~~!!  
Well then, well then, I have a lesson to get to in a few moments.  
Good night, everyone~!_

_-JIROU_

I covered my mouth with my hand as I yawned, and pressed 'Send' on my cell phone. Once I made sure that the entry was sent, I put away my cell phone to watch an amusing tactic of Niou and Kirihara battling each other in arm wrestling match for five minute possession of the music selection book.

"What are you doing, puri~?" Niou inquired out of the blue as he put an arm around my shoulder. I nearly dropped my cell phone in surprised when I heard his voice.

"Nothing much. Did you decide on the song to sing?" I asked without missing a beat, and pocketed my cell phone. It looked like he won since Kirihara was pouting and scowling in a corner, and Niou was smirking triumphantly.

"Yes, we decided that you should sing _Break a Road_," he responded as he handed me the microphone. Oh, bloody hell. I knew I should not have entered this establishment at all.

* * *

It was nearing 7:00 PM when I exited the karaoke bar, and Niou pulled me aside to talk. I had a sinking feeling of the topic of our chat, but nevertheless, I agreed to follow him to nearby alley. If I was in a rational state of mind, I would have commented that having a chat in an alley was certainly suspicious. As I passed by my sister, she sent me a worried expression, which I returned with a reassuring smirk.

"You're JIROU, right?" Niou stated with a triumphant smirk, which clearly announced the fact that he had solved a secret. Of course, I was not ready to give in completely, so I just gave him a business-like smile in response.

"Yes, Jirou is my first name," I said with a devious smirk, which looked surprisingly similar to the one the trickster wore.

"No, no, no, you're the idol, JIROU right?" he insisted as he shook me back and forth. I supposed it was emphasis, but really… there was no need for that.

When I regained control of the situation, I said with a small scoff, "What makes you think that? After all, his image and mine are completely different," I was going to see how long I can deny him that I was not JIROU, until I have to reveal to him.

"Prsh, hair dye, and contacts," Niou pointed out with a scoff, and looked at me as if that was the best disguise I could come up with, "This is ore-sama you're talking about. I know all the tricks there are. After all, ore-sama wouldn't be a famous Trickster if I didn't know those simple things,"

"Oh, please, not everyone knows you," I retorted sarcastically, trying to change our conversation. Oh curses, I could not believe he actually was able to divulge my secret so effortlessly.

"Sure they do, puri~" he answered with a grin, and put an arm around my shoulder once again, "So am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" I did not say anything for a couple of seconds, which then cause him to state, "Puri~, I can't believe I know someone famous,"

"You and your keen observation skill," I grumbled with a shake of my head, and added, "Don't you go around telling people what you know either. Heh, not like they'll believe you anyway,"

"Hmm… really? Well, I'll keep this a secret_ for now_," that was all he stated before leaving the alley way. I did not know that I was waiting with berated breath until I exhaled loudly then. That's another person to add to the list, but I supposed it cannot be helped. Especially when my popularity begins to soar and my identity is slowly revealed from the interviews and whatnot. I wonder though… I wonder how many people will know about me, Akutagawa Jirou, as the idol, JIROU, in the next two weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner. The lyric inputted is translated by yours truly.

* * *

It was purely chaos, and that was simply putting the situation lightly. Many students (both males and females) were excitedly talking about the photo shoot I would be having at Hyoutei in the afternoon. If I could somehow have the controlled the situation, I would not be choosing my school as my set location for a photo shoot. That would merely be inviting trouble, which is something I did not need, but it is going to be something I would have to deal with in a few hours.

Truth to be told, I was unsure how I would be able to escape from these students to get into my dressing room, which my stylists would be bringing forth later on. Normally, it would not be hard to slip by these students… but on a chaotic day as this, it would certainly prove to be a challenge.

I sighed yet again as I sat in homeroom, half-heartedly listening to zealous chatters, and wondered if it was a mistake to come to school. Since the cultural festival was in a couple of weeks, we were given time to prepare for the event, and thus, the lessons were canceled during this period. I still have yet talked to Kaji-nii about leaving school to be home-schooled.

"So you thought you could escape from your job, and not come to school yesterday?" one of the female students sneered as she slammed her hands on my desk. I did not show that I was greatly startled, and looked back at her with a calm gaze.

"I had food poisoning," I lied smoothly with an even gaze, and did not even flinched when she hardened her gaze.

"Yeah, well, you better not sound horrible singing JIROU-sama's songs, and taint his image," that was all said, leaving behind a binder full of CDs, and lyrics of the songs I had sung in the past. Heh, I do not even need this to be able to sing professionally.

"Just because you have the same first name as him, don't think you're good," another female student added as she flicked her hair to over her shoulder, and strutted towards her group of friends.

"And what's with you, leaving school after lunch? Who do you think you are?" a third female student from the same posse stated with a scowl. She crossed her arms, and looked at me in the most criticizing way, which was similar to the gaze I withstood when I first started modeling.

"I don't need to explain my situation to you," I responded calmly as I took off my glasses, and put it away in its case, and added softly, "I thought we'd get past this stage because we've been classmates since elementary school. I'd guess not,"

I walked out of the classroom with my belongings, and nearly bumped into Atobe. The latter, Oshitari, and Shishido looked like they had just came back from a morning tennis practice. "Jirou? What's wrong?" Atobe inquired with a slight concern tone, and blatantly ignored the tensai's smirking visage.

"Ah, nothing, Atobe-_san_," I answered with a faint smile, and continued, "I'll see you around," I turned around to continue to my destination, but immediately stopped when I felt someone tugging on my wrist. I looked back to see Atobe holding my wrist, and gazed back up at him quizzically.

"Why are you constantly running away from me?" he questioned in a tone so soft that I had to strained my hearings to hear.

"I think you know the reason, _Kei-chan_. We're not as we were a few years ago, and I don't think I can endure through that pain once again," I replied just as softly.

"Where are you going then?" Atobe inquired with an eyebrow raised as he eyed at my bag, and then towards me. Oshitari and Shishido raised an eyebrow in question as they await for my answer, but I just gave a small smile as if to buy some time.

"The classroom is too noisy, so I'm just going to walk around and find some place to practice," I responded in my usual happy-go-lucky tone, and I gave a half-salute towards the three before walking away.

* * *

I found myself inside one of the many music rooms, and closed the door behind me before I made my way towards the grand piano. I dropped my bag next to the leg of the piano, and pulled out my cell phone, which I placed on the hood of the said instrument. I ran my fingers through the keys once, trying to get used to the sound before placing both my hands on the cold surface.

"Hmm, I should try to finish the song I was working on," I mumbled in remembrance, and reached inside my bag to get my notebook. I quietly hummed the song as I began playing the piano, trying to get the rhythm, and then finally started singing the song from the top. I highly doubt anyone would be able to hear me due to loud chatters from various students.

_"Once again, today I stand still here to gaze up at the sky  
Even when the cold wind breezes through my heart, I cannot move_

_That smile from the other day remains on my eyelids  
And it blooms as a single flower in the corner  
I moisten it with my tears so that it will not wither._

_I cannot hear your voice, I can't hear it.  
It's a thought that repeats over and over.  
Please don't disappear, it's fine if it's just an illusion  
Stay by my side and hold me, as it was on that day_"

I paused in mid-play, trying to figure out how to continue the song, but since I had no ideas, I began to play the song from the beginning. I closed my eyes, trying to imagine the scene I wished to portray to my listeners in my mind.

_"Was our meeting a mistake?  
The spilled broken fragments of two people are…  
Even now, it continues to shine faintly" _I whispered, trying to adjust to the new lyrics that just formed in my mind. This verse reminded me so much of a scene on that fateful day… a day which changed my life, and shaped me to be the person I am right now.

I quickly jotted down the verse that I just sung, so that I would not forget, and looked at the verses that I had written. I did not realize that I was frowning until I saw a reflection from the piano surface. Somehow… there needed to be another verse before the last verse I just sung. I let out a yawn, feeling slightly drowsy from this ballad, and put away my notebook.

I stood up from my spot, and walked over to a sofa placed in the room before I laid down on it. The song that I've been working on continuously played in my mind, and I could not help but hum it even though it was still unfinished. Before I realized it, I was singing it out loud, and when I realized my action, I almost had the whole song complete. I immediately reached for my notebook to scribble down the lyric, and walked over to the grand piano again to play the whole song.

_"Can you hear my voice? I am right here, thinking of you  
I want to see you, even if it's just once more, I want to see you  
If my wish can come true, I just want to see you…" _this was the last verse to this song, and when I finished, I had a small smile on my face.

"Perfect, I just need a title for this," I sighed in relieve as I reread the lyric before I closed the notebook with a satisfied smirk.

* * *

I had no idea how long I was asleep on the couch, but when I woke up, I heard quiet chatters in the room. I immediately sat up, and looked around to see that I was not alone. Judging from how the sunlight shined directly into the room, I figured it was around noon, and with a sigh, I stood up and stretched.

"Awake now?" Oshitari inquired amusedly with a smirk, nearly startling me but I controlled myself jumping.

"What are you guys doing here?" I questioned instead with an eyebrow raised, and reached down to grab my bag. I fished out my cell phone whilst I waited for his response, and noticed that it was a little past noon.

"We couldn't find a room to discuss our culture festival activity," Atobe replied grandly as he flicked his hair, and glanced at me briefly before stating, "When Ootori suggested a music room, we immediately came into the first room we saw,"

"I see," that was all I stated as I walked towards a window, and glanced down to see various yellow tapes to ward off fans, and such. It looked like my photo shoot set is getting prepared, and I could not help but start to feel extremely nervous about the event.

It was not due the location being at my school, but the fact that most students would be watching. I would not mind people watching my photo shoots; however, what made me nervous is the people who will be watching… especially _him_. That is, if _he_ is going to watch...

I let out a sigh that I did not know I was holding, and watched silently as the staff members for the photo shoot set up the lightings, screen, and whatnot. I wondered how I will get out of here without causing any suspicions and arrive to the set on time. I ran my hand through my hair, and walked away from the window.

"So what are you doing for the culture festival?" I inquired with curiosity, as I flipped and closed my cell phone. It happened to be a nervous habit of mine that I do whenever I feel anxious.

"A horror house," Shishido responded blatantly with a scowl, and then questioned, "Did you practice for your part? It'll be hard from what I heard,"

"Don't worry about me," I responded with a princely smile that I learned to use for my photo shoots. "I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when the time comes,"

"You've been acting differently lately, Jirou," Oshitari commented as he eyed at me in the most scrutinizing way that made me feel self-conscious of myself.

"Have I?" that was all I responded while I looked away from his intense gaze. It was about 12:20 in the afternoon, and I have forty minutes to figure how to escape from here. Plus, I also need to have my hair, and make-up done, as well as change into different attires.

"Why do you keep looking at the clock, Jirou-senpai?" Hiyoshi Wakashi questioned, making me aware of my actions, which I just smiled in response but I did not say anything to his inquiry.

"Excuse me for a moment," I mumbled as I walked towards the door.

"Are you going to run away from us again?" Mukahi asked in a tone that made me pause in my mid-step. My hand froze before it touched the door, but I immediately relaxed, and continued with my motion.

"Run away? Never," I answered softly with a small smile on my face, and added, "Right now… I have a little too much on my plate. Maybe, one day… I will let you know what's going on,"

* * *

I stood outside the main door, and glanced around the campus, noting the area for the photo shoot, and various students standing area waiting for 'my' appearance. I exhaled deeply and shook my head when I realized that it would be risky to walk out of there without any sort of disguise. After all, how would I explain to everyone about the difference in 'my' appearance?

"The only solution in this situation would be…" I mumbled when this brilliant idea hit me like a flying rock. Figuratively, of course… I immediately fished for a couple of ideas that I needed, and let out a triumphant 'Ah-ha!' when I took it out. It was a pair of sunglasses, and a hooded sweat shirt. Even though it looked suspicious, it was my only savior at the moment.

I slipped by to behind a building, and threw on the slightly large hooded sweat shirt. I grabbed a cap and put it on before covering it with the hood. For extra measure, I slipped on my sunglasses, and repeatedly told myself that I _did not_ look suspicious. Nope, not at all… I kept telling myself to act like my idol persona, and not my student persona.

"Who is that?" I heard one of the students whispering loudly. "That can't be JIROU-sama,"

"This should be fun," I mumbled sarcastically as I walked towards the trailer, and ignored various whispers from the students, who were wondering about my identity due to my clever disguise.

"You sure took your sweet time arriving here," my stylist commented in a snarky tone with a smirk, trying her best not to laugh at my outfit. "Well, sit down. We need to get started," she stated as she pushed me down to a seat in front of the mirror.

She tossed my cap to the side, and told me to take off the hideous sweat shirt. She ruffled my hair a bit before she started to dye it in its usual color of chestnut brown. My clothes stylist was assembling the clothes, and accessories I would be modeling.

"What happened to your manager?" my hair stylist inquired out in the blue.

"He has some exams to take," I responded with a shrug, and continued, "My sister will be here soon to sort of take his position for the day, or something like that. Maybe she'll just stand by and watch, who knows..."

"I see… well, since we're doing the school theme, perhaps, you should stop emitting that 'untouchable' vibe that you seemed to be doing for every shoot," she suggested as she finished coloring my hair for the umpteenth time within the month.

"I so do not release that sort of vibe," I grumbled under my breath, but nevertheless took her suggestion to consideration. I let out a sigh yet again, and accepted a drink from one of the staff members.

Once the necessary changes has completed, I changed into a new set of Hyoutei school uniform with top buttons unbuttoned, and the necktie slightly loosened. I slipped on my contacts and then grabbed my jacket to complete the look before I walked out of the trailer. I glanced at my cell phone to gauge for the time, and noticed that I was slightly late.

"Alright, let's get started," the producer of _Wink-Up_ stated as soon as I walked to the set, and commended, "We'll be doing the front cover, and a two-page spread. I'm sure you know how the photo shoots work, correct?"

"Yes, don't worry about it. Let's begin," I responded with a smirk as I stood in front of the white screen, and multiple cameras.

"JIROU-SAMA!" I heard various girls screaming for my name. I inwardly cringed at the loudness, and had to resist the urge to plug my ears from the shrilling screams.

"Quiet on the set!" the producer shouted over the screams with a mega-horn, and gave me a nod to get into my place.

For the first photo, I swung the jacket over my shoulder, and put one hand in the pocket. I let out a small smile, and waited for the camera to take the picture. I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply before moving onto the next pose.

When the first set was finished, I had a throbbing headache due to the screaming fans. I walked back to the trailer to change into a different school uniform; this time, it was of Seishun Gakuen. I merely raised my eyebrow at the plainness that is a white shirt, black pants, and black jacket.

"Mari-san, can you hand me that light blue muscle shirt?" I requested as I eyed at my new outfit. As soon as I got my requested item, I walked behind the screen to change, and headed over to the set once again.

* * *

"Alright, what do you think?" the producer stated as I looked at my photos. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the tennis regulars were looking at me. I diverted my attention back to the screen that the producer was pointing.

"They look fine," I responded with a small shrug, and inquired, "How many will you be using?"

"Well, one for the front over, and about eight to ten for those two-page spread," the producer answered with a thoughtful look, and let out a hearty chuckle, "It'll be hard for us to choose since there are so many great pictures,"

"Thank you, sir," I replied politely with a small bow, and added, "Thank you for your hard work,"

"We'll call you in a couple of days for an interview," he stated with a nod, and directed his crew to start cleaning up. In the meantime, I headed over to the trailer to change, and paused in my track when I saw my sister with Niou.

The latter merely grinned at me with a wave, and hugged my sister. I sent him a seething glare while resisting the urge to shake my fist at him. I stalked back to the trailer to change into a set of comfortable clothes.

"What is he doing here?" I mumbled darkly under my breath as I took off the white uniform shirt. "Just because he knows my secret, it doesn't give him the right to hang around my sister as he pleases. I mean, it's bad enough that Rina-chan has to deal with his antics at the tennis practice, but geez,"

As soon as I finished changing into black slack, white dress shirt with top buttons unbuttoned, a red tie loosened, and black shoes. I left my hair and accessories as it is, and bid the staff members farewell before heading out. I nearly wished that I had not left the trailer because as soon as I set my foot down on the ground, my eardrums nearly blasted away with loud screams.

Luckily, I had called for the security for cases as this, and walked down the path that they had cleared for me. I nearly got molested by grabby hands, and sent a piercing glare at a girl who grabbed my hand.

"Atobe, he's more popular than you are," I heard Oshitari's amused voice from somewhere in the crowd, and I looked around before I spot him, and the rest of regulars standing next to Rina, and Niou.

"Che, all these 'Kya, kya' is giving me a headache," Shishido grumbled as I approached to the group, and almost made me want to slap my face into my palm when I noticed the security team is faltering a bit.

"You and me, both," I agreed as I stood in front of the group, and let out a dejected the sigh. He, and the rest of the Hyoutei tennis regulars looked at me in surprise at my sudden appearance, but I just gave them a tired smile in response.

"JIROU-san, I sincerely apologize for my students' action," the headmaster of Hyoutei stated with a deep bow, and I just nodded in response before eyeing at the screaming fans warily.

It was amazing that I am not deaf yet, and stated, "Just quiet them before I take the matters into my own hands,"

"ALL OF YOU BETTER QUIET DOWN THIS SECOND OR I WILL EXPEL YOU!" the vice-principal's voice boomed over the PA system, and for the next couple of seconds, a stunned silence followed.

Well… that was one way to quiet the fans… I was certainly not expecting that. "Thank you for everything," I stated to the headmaster with a nod, and a bow before I turned to leave.

"It was our pleasure, although I'm sure you could do with the screaming girls," the headmaster chuckled at his own statement.

* * *

I arrived to the park with my sister, Niou, and the Hyoutei tennis team. The latter just followed me since Rina, and Niou were following me. I massaged my temple a couple of times, trying to ease my headache, but to no avail.

"Heh, you got all of Japan's girls screaming their heart out for you," Niou laughed at my expense, and totally missed my death glare towards him.

"That's not funny. It gives me a headache every time I have a photo shoot outside the studio. Don't even remind of concerts, and such," I responded with a scowl, and mumbled out, "This is why I don't do autograph signing, or meet-and-greet with fans,"

"Awwh, but you should be happy that fans love you," Niou responded in a mocking tone while he ignored various confused expressions from some of the regulars.

"Have you even seen some of my fans from the concert?" I retorted with a scoff as I walked over to the vending machine to get a drink, and continued with my statement, "I'm just happy that they have some morals to not stalk me,"

"Niou-san, how do you know JIROU-san?" Ootori interrupted politely as I grabbed my drink and walked back to the group.

"We met a karaoke bar yesterday," I responded with a smirk, and nearly laughed at Niou's blinking expression. I could tell that he was going to make some elaborate tale, but I had beaten him to the punch.

"Awwh, aren't you going to tell them?" Niou inquired teasingly as he resisted the urge to laugh at my mock-horror expression.

"Tell us what, exactly?" Atobe stated with an eyebrow raised.

"That you are…" Niou trailed off and gestured to me so that I could finish his trailing sentence. That Niou… I knew it was a bad idea that he knows my secret. Now what am I going to do?

"That you are actually Akutagawa Jirou?" Oshitari continued with a knowing smirk, and let out an even bigger smirk, if that was possible.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner. I apologize for Jirou being... un-Jirou-like, and Atobe for being un-Atobe-like.

* * *

"SAY WHAT!" most of them screeched indigently in surprised and shock, especially Mukahi. Then again... the redheaded acrobat was known to be a bit drama queen-like, next to Shishido. "How is that possible, Yuushi?"

"Based on our conversation, that's the only plausible answer," Oshitari stated as he took off his glasses to wipe away the dust, and slipped it back on before asking, "Isn't that right?"

"Have I left that many clues for you to be able to figure out this easily?" I mumbled with furrowed eyebrows, trying to replay the scenes in my mind.

"Actually, I was following you earlier when you left. Hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and a hat... Nice disguise," the tensai responded smoothly with his usual smirk. His fellow teammates just stared at him as if he was an alien, and I was left blinking in surprised.

"Stalker," that was all I said before I took a sip of my drink. It was a regular green tea; cold, not hot.

"Why didn't you tell me, Jirou?" Atobe murmured with a frown, and added, "Ore-sama wouldn't tell anyone," I nearly slapped my face when a sudden realization hit me like a wave; Atobe has 'Insight', so of course, he would know my secret if he prodded enough. However, I never gave him long enough time to do so.

"We broke up, Atobe-_san_," I reminded, regardless of whether they knew my secret or not, and pulled my hand away from his grip. "Don't think you can just waltz back into my life as if nothing had happened, and need I remind you, it was you who severed our relationship. Perhaps I should thank you for that, because I wouldn't be where I am if that incident didn't happen,"

"Atobe, I can't believe you would do that," Mukahi stated in scandalous tone with a deep frown, and glanced back and forth between Atobe, and I. "As gross as you two acting all romantic-like everywhere is, why did you went ahead and broke up just because of what your grandmother said?"

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, silently wondering why I have yet to hear this part of the conversation. Besides that little factor, when did Mukahi-kun become a counselor of some sort? Maybe there was a reason for why Atobe did what he did, and for what he said to me on that day… but then again… I am not ready to face the pain.

"Niou-san, thank you for escorting Rina-chan here," I interrupted with a nod towards the said Rikkai Dai student, and turned to face my sister, "Come on, we better get going now if I want to get to my lessons on time later on. Besides, you know it'll take some time to get to Kanagawa from here,"

"Well, just call me when you're done shopping," Niou stated with a smirk as he stuffed his hand in his pocket, and readjusted the weight of his tennis gear with another. "I'll escort her back; after all, we _are_ next door neighbors,"

"Why won't you listen to what he has to say?" Mukahi all but screamed at me when I turned to walk away from the group. "You both act as if you are miserable without one another, so why won't you kiss and make-up already? And you know it's bad when you hear that from me," he added the last phrase with a scowl.

"Gakuto, you know it's not our place to say it," Oshitari sighed as he shook his head at his doubles partner's monologue.

"It's not that easy, despite how I wish it to be," I responded calmly with my hands in my pocket, and turned halfway to face them, "I'm under spotlight constantly, and so is Atobe-_san_ because of his status. Imagine how it would be a field day for the media and paparazzi if Atobe-_san_ is seen with two different people, even though it is me. All of you and Niou-san might have easily figured out that Akutagawa Jirou is actually the idol JIROU, but the rest of the world doesn't know that yet. I plan to keep my disguise until I decide that I no longer need it," I said the last two phrases so softly that I was unsure if they heard me.

"As I have said back at school, I already forgave you for hurting me," I continued with a soft smile, "But I've moved on… and I had stopped clinging onto what could have been. I think you should too, _Kei-chan._ However, if you wish to try our relationship once again, I wouldn't stop you… of course, this doesn't mean that I'll easily give in to you like I did last time. Oh, and I suggest you don't approach to me when I'm in this guise. We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea," I let out a playful smirk towards him before I gave a nod to my sister, and we walked away from the stunned group.

* * *

"Why did you give him a second chance, aniki?" Rina finally said something once we were a few yards away from the group. I led her to my apartment, which happened to be directly across the park, and waited for the elevator to arrive as soon as I pushed the 'Up' button.

"As weird as this would sound, even if I resolved not to be in that kind of relationship anymore, a part of me still yarns for him," I responded in a low tone, and entered the elevator before pushing for the highest button available as soon as I slid my identification card on the slot. "Weird huh? But let's stop talking about me, what's with you and Niou-kun?" I glanced to my sister with a knowing smirk.

"W-what are you talking about? There's nothing going on between me, and Niou-kun," she immediately began to deny, and let out a nervous laughter. "What makes you think there is something going on between us?"

"Do you want the short version of the list or the long version?" I inquired teasingly with a devious smirk still planted on my visage. Once I had my share of laughs, I stated, "I won't tell you who to date, and who not to date. I know you are wise enough to make that decision yourself, but just promise me that you are going to be careful, and not get pregnant at such young age,"

"ANIKI!" Rina shouted with red tints on her face, and crossed her arms with a pout, "I'm not careless enough to do something like that. Besides… Masaharu-kun is not that kind of guy,"

"Ah, so you're calling each other by first names, I see, I see," I grinned teasingly, and immediately stepped out when the elevator 'Dings'. I live on the very top floor of this apartment complex, in which the rent is slightly higher due to the skyline view. However, it is worth the price because none of the reporters and paparazzi could come up here.

"Stop teasing me~" my sister whined but nevertheless followed me to my apartment door.

"But it's my job as an older brother to tease my little sister," I responded with a grin while I fished out my key, and then unlocked the door. "Well, make yourself at home while I go wash this dye out. I won't be long,"

I locked the door behind us, and headed to a bathroom nearby. As soon as I closed the door, I let out a sigh as I leaned against it while the earlier conversation with the Hyoutei tennis team replayed in my mind. I knew it was foolish for me to concede to my feeling once more, but I could not help my action.

It was as if I am pulled towards him by some magical force, and no matter how much I tried to ignore this, I am once again thinking of him. My songs are the proof of that… despite my attempts to move away from, I think I am falling for him all over again, and this time…

* * *

I am dressed in the same outside as I was minutes ago, but I added a black cap just for extra measure. I grabbed my wallet, cell phone, and keys before the two of us headed out. We headed down to the lobby via elevator, and Rina-chan led me to the park. I had an inkling feeling as to why my sister dragged to this location, and my suspicion was confirmed when I noticed the Hyoutei regulars still standing in the same spot as I had left them.

'I can't believe my own sister is playing matchmaker with me,' I sighed dejectedly as I approached to the group once again. "Can you stop meddling with my love life, my dear sister?" I grumbled in a mocking tone as I put my hands in my pocket.

"It's my job as a younger sister to meddle," Rina responded innocently with a smile, and added under her breath, "And occasionally blames her older brother for things she doesn't want get in trouble for,"

"Heh, that was fast," Niou commented as soon as we approached to the group, and I raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what he was talking about.

"Well, you know aniki, he can change fast," Rina replied with a grin as she walked over to him, and added, "Besides, I thought it'd be more fun with everyone instead of just the two of us," She looked at me pleadingly with a puppy-dog eyes that I used to use on Atobe-kun often in the past.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I inquired accusingly with a dejected sigh, which my sister just laughed in response. "Besides, you just want to – Excuse me for a second," I sighed dejectedly when I was interrupted by my cell phone.

"Oh hey, boss. It's my day off, so why can't you let me enjoy it in peace?" I started with a slight frown as I walked a couple of feet away from the group, and nearly dropped my cell phone when I heard his response, "What do you mean it's today!? I haven't even finished looking at all the files yet, and you want me to make the decision today? Fine, fine, fine… I wouldn't mind doing voice-over roles, but I'm not quite confident in acting yet. Well, I guess if you put it that way, I will sharpen my skills and I'll accept those jobs in the future. In the _future_, sir; not the next offer that I get… Besides, you know how much workload I have on my plate now… yes, yes, I know. I will try not to be late. And yes, I'll review the file before the first recording session so I won't look like an unprepared idiot. Next time, you might want to let me know of the deadline first, sir. Alright then, have a _fantastic_ day, _sir_." I mumbled the last phrase sarcastically before I ended the phone call unhappily.

I grumbled with a scowl, and put away my cell phone as I controlled my emotions before facing the group. "Ah, more work. How fun," I mumbled as I walked back to the group.

"So, so, which job did you accepted? I saw the huge stack of offers in your living room," Rina inquired excitedly as she approached me, and added, "Are you going to be in dramas?"

"Dramas? No, not yet at least," I responded with a nervous laughter, and continued, "Come on, we're here to have fun today, not talk about my work,"

"Talking about your work," Rina started, totally ignoring my remark as she took out a magazine from her bag, and said with 'ta-dah' tone, "Your _Duet_ magazine was published today, and they are selling like hot cakes. I should know because you _know_ I am your number one fan; but luckily, I managed to grab one before they're sold-out,"

"You're also my sister, so I'd deeply appreciate it if you can stop fangirling over me," I stated dryly in an exasperated tone, and threw a glare towards laughing Mukahi, and Shishido, "And while we're at it, can you please stop talking about me?"

"Why, talking about you is fun," my sister stated with a grin, but nevertheless, she stopped teasing me and put away the magazine. "It never ceases to amaze me how you can instantly change into a different person. It's like… you are different yet you are the same," she commented whilst glancing at my former tennis teammates to gauge for their reactions.

"Ne, since it's been a while that we are together, why don't we play a match?" Mukahi suggested as he shifted the load of tennis gear onto his right shoulder.

"Awwwh, but I wanted to go shopping," Rina whined with a pout, but immediately changed to a gleeful expression, and clasped her hands together, "It's been a while since you've played, Aniki,"

I glanced at her, mentally trying to tell her to stop revealing so many things that I hid from others, especially _them_. However, whether Rina realized my mental message or not, she kept saying that this would be a good opportunity for me to play tennis once again.

"Besides, you said if you had time, you'd like to get back to that," Rina pointed as she gestured towards the paragraph in the magazine, and put an air quote as she repeated what I had said in the interview.

"Why did you stop playing, puri~?" Niou inquired as he shifted his weight onto another foot, and eyed at me in the same scrutinizing glance as he did a couple of days ago.

"That's because…" I trailed off with a small smile on my face, and did not even bother looking up at Atobe-kun to know that he was thinking of the same incident. "I rather not talk about this… it's not that I can't play anymore, rather… I just don't want to," I stated as I cleared my throat.

* * *

I sat on one of the bleachers overlooking the tennis courts at Atobe-kun's mansion. Since the tennis team did not have practice today due to my photo shoot mayhem, I wondered why I was even present currently because they would be busy practicing for an upcoming tournament.

"I want to see you play again, aniki," Rina murmured as I just let out a dejected sigh. I have yet to touch a tennis racket for two years, and had stopped playing tennis since then. Now, all the sudden, I have to?

"You know I don't play the sport anymore," I responded calmly as I took out my cell phone to update my blog. My identity is suddenly a secret anymore because there are already a group of people who knows.

"Why not?" Niou added, butting into our conversation with his happy-go-lucky attitude, while flipping through _Duet_ magazine. "You used to play Singles 2," he reminded with a smirk.

"I started playing tennis because of Marui-kun… because his tennis style captivated me, and made me think, 'Wow, if someone like him can play like that, maybe I should see how far I can go.' Before I know it, tennis consumed my life, and made me want to pursue to higher level. It made realized there are people my age who are far better than me… take Atobe-kun, Tezuka-kun, and Yukimura-kun for example. At first, I was playing to be as good as, if not better than, Marui-kun… but then my priority changed. In the end, what started as fun only end up causing me great pain. I was unsure what I am going to do, but on the day that I wanted my life to end… someone came and changed my fate. I belong in the entertainment world now," I explained with a soft smile, and let out a bitter laughter, "Fate has a funny way of shifting,"

"But aniki… you told him that you wouldn't mind trying again," Rina reminded quietly as she took in what I said, and continued with her persuasive ways, "Why not give the sport a chance? It can't hurt you,"

"Please don't force this on me, Rina-chan," I muttered in a soft tone without tearing my gaze away from the empty tennis courts, and added, "Don't make me revert back to who I was two years ago,"

"What happened two years ago?" Atobe inquired in his usual tone. I nearly jumped in startled but quickly controlled myself doing so whilst I tried to calm down my racing heart. Where did he appear from, and how long has he been standing there!?

I merely turned away from his inquisitive gaze, and did not say anything response. My sister looked at me worriedly, a look that I did not respond to, but I could tell without gazing towards my once tennis captain to know that he was trying to figure out what I said with his 'Insight'.

"Two years ago, huh," I started softly as I leaned backward to look up at the sky while letting out a soft yet grim smile. "It feels like eons ago, and I'm surprised I can change that fast," I murmured amusedly, and finally looked back at Atobe-kun to see his shocked expression.

"It's blocked, I can't use my 'Insight' on you," he whispered in astonished tone. I was unsure what surprised me: him unable to use his unique ability on me or the fact that he did not use 'Ore-sama' in that sentence.

"I'm surprised, Atobe-_san_," I started coldly while I stand up from my spot, and turned my back to him. I flicked my bangs away from my vision, and placed my hands in my pocket. Why am I acting this way... why am I suddenly turning into who I was two years ago? Perhaps, it is just a defense mechanism that I set up after the incident; perhaps, I am not ready to be with him yet. Even as I think and say this, I do not have an answer. "I'm surprised that you want to know about me now. You haven't even _tried_ to communicate with me for two years, and all the sudden, you want back into my life. Is it because that I'm famous now? Or rather, is it because you now _know_ that I'm famous? Or is it because I've changed?" I half-turned towards him, just in time to see the rest of the regulars standing behind him to hear the confrontation.

"Aniki…" Rina started as she stood up from her spot, but immediately stopped talking when I silenced her with my glare.

"I may have given you a second chance, and forgave you, but I don't appreciate you prodding and digging into my life as if nothing had changed between us," I continued with my rant as calmly as I could. When he was about to rebut with my statements, I interrupted sharply, "Don't think I haven't forgotten that day. It's still fresh on my mind. Weren't you the one who told me that you didn't want me on the tennis team anymore, because all I did was sleep? That I didn't practice enough? You also said that while my lack of activities might have been fine when we were in junior high school circuit, you didn't want me on the team anymore when we are in high school. You expelled me from the tennis team,"

"Ore-sama apologizes," Atobe muttered with clenched fists, as if it was difficult for him to utter apologizes, which I am fairly sure it was. "Ore-sama was frustrated on that day,"

"And you took it out on me? How nice. Until you figure how to properly apologize to me, refrain yourself from talking to me," I retorted sarcastically before I grabbed my sister's hand, and walked away, "Come on Rina-chan, we're going on a non-stop shopping spree. Niou-kun, if you want to come with, by all means, please do,"

"Atobe-san, how could you do that?" I heard Ootori chiding the said person in a disapproving tone. "Whatever your reason was on that day, it's unfair and unjust to Jirou-senpai,"

As soon as we were out of their hearing range, my sister turned to me with a deep frown on her face, "Aniki, why did you have to say something like that to Atobe-san? I thought you wanted to amend your relationship with him,"

I merely glanced back at her before I released a deep sigh, and quietly noted that Niou stayed silent throughout my rants. "I guess I just can't forgive him for cheating with another girl while he was still in a relationship with me,"

"He did WHAT!" Rina all but screamed in surprised since it was the first time I told her this information. Niou, on the other hand, nearly stumbled over nothing in shock from what I said, and at the sudden shout from his girlfriend.

* * *

**Note:** I just realized Jirou has so many long monologues in this chapter. Hahaha...


	6. Chapter 6

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner. The full translation of the lyric belongs to yours truly.

* * *

"Are you sure?" my sister inquired with furrowed eyebrows, and looked at me for confirmation. "Are you really sure if what you saw on that day was what was actually happening?"

I did not say anything in response to that; nevertheless, what Rina-chan had said created a reasonable doubt in my statement. There was no mistake that Atobe-kun was making out with another girl, but... Was he actually the one initiating it? Was he forced? I am unsure why he was even making out with another girl when he was going out with me. When I asked him about it, he could not give me a clear answer for his actions; yet, it was then that he ended our relationship. Our four months of officially going out. Unofficially, it was much longer; it was three years, but who's counting?

I had always admired him since I was in Hyoutei Elementary School. He was someone I can only dream of becoming because he was so sure of himself, so _perfect_. That is the only word I can use to describe him… because he is just that: perfect.

"I don't know… I don't know," I whispered solemnly with my gaze towards the ground, and I let out a sigh before looking up the clear sky. "He never explained the incident to me, and I waited and waited, until I got tired of waiting. Besides, you know we moved afterward. Even then… he never did anything to clear the situation,"

Neither Rina nor Niou said anything in response to my statement, and we merely continued walking in silence for a while. That is, until I stopped in my mid-step, and watched my sister and Niou stopping after a couple more steps to realize that I was not walking with them. "What's wrong, aniki?" she asked concernedly.

"I'm sorry I ruined your visit," I murmured as I moved to hug her, and continued while I held her, "I don't feel like shopping anymore. I'll be at the studio, call me if you need anything?" I let go off her and gave a brief nod to Niou before I turned around to leave.

* * *

There are so many questions that I want to know the answers to; but at the same time, I am afraid to know. I could not help but smile bitterly at my situation... at my pathetic self for being a coward, despite a façade that I put up in front of millions of people. I signaled at the staff members of Sony Music Entertainment, whom I had called at the last minute, so that I would be able to do this. It would sound better if I did it in the state that I am in.

"Let's begin," I instructed to the staff members yet again, and put on my headset. I counted the beat as soon as the instrumental music began playing before I started singing. This was my twentieth time recording this song, mostly due to the fact that I could not finish the song without breaking down. This song reminds me so much of _our relationship_.

_"Once again, today I stand still here to gaze up at the sky  
Even when the cold wind breezes through my heart, I cannot move_

_That smile from the other day remains on my eyelids  
And it blooms as a single flower in the corner  
I moisten it with my tears so that it will not wither..._

_I cannot hear your voice, I can't hear it.  
It's a thought that repeats over and over.  
Please don't disappear, it's fine if it's just an illusion  
Stay by my side and hold me, as it was on that day,"_ It was the song I had worked on, and completed earlier today. I was not going to record it for another week or so, but...

_"No one puts love and sorrow with one another  
But before long, I describe love as a mosaic in my heart_

_Was our meeting a mistake?  
The spilled broken fragments of two people are  
Even now, it continues to shine faintly._

_Can you hear my voice? I am right here, thinking of you  
Let these tears ascend up to the sky  
And descend to where you are,"_ I did not noticed my tears cascading down until I felt something wet on my cheeks. Why can't I get _his_ expression out of my head? Why am I suddenly remembering how hurt _he_ was from what I said? Nevertheless, I inhaled deeply and continued with the song with a steady voice.

_"The light snow of out of season freezes and dances across the sky  
I wonder if you are looking at the same sky as I  
I wonder if we are still connected.._

_I cannot hear your voice, I can't hear it.  
It's a thought that repeats over and over  
Please don't disappear, it's fine if it's just an illusion.  
Stay by my side, just like this snow._

_Can you hear my voice? I am right here, thinking of you  
I want to see you, even if it's just once more, I want to see you  
If my wish can come true, I just want to see you~"_

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," I stated in above whisper, and cleared my throat before continuing in normal tone, "Can you ask Miyazawa-san to arrange with _Music Station_ if I can sing this instead?"

"No problem, leave it us," my other manager responded with a nod, and added in a concerned tone, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I replied with what I think is a convincing smile. I have two managers now, mainly because my brother is always busy with his schoolwork, and Miyazawa-san - the boss of Sony Music Entertainment - arranged another for me.

"Have you decided the title for this?" my manager inquired as she took out a notepad, and a pen to readied herself for what I would say.

"_Refrain_," I uttered with a small smile.

* * *

I did not attend school for the next couple of days, not because I was avoiding Atobe-kun, and the Hyoutei tennis regulars... but because I was overloaded with my work. Ever since I had accepted the voice-over role, I was constantly in the recording studio to record a couple of episodes each day. On some days, we would have many redo because the director or the producer did not liked it. Once that was done, I still had a rehearsal for my upcoming national tour, which if I remembered correctly... would be held in a couple of weeks. That is, it would end a day before the cultural festival.

I was stressed, and I knew it. As much as I would like to slack off, and relax, I could not because I wanted my fans to enjoy my concert tour as much as I enjoyed singing. I had asked Kaji-nii to pull me out of school, mainly for the reason that I was barely there, but he refused. This then leads me to my current predicament, where my throbbing headache only continued to grew worst by the noisy chatters. I would have demanded my classmates to be quiet had my homeroom teacher did not walked in at that moment. I did not paid attention to his morning announcements until I heard my name somewhere in his speech.

"What?" I blurted out with my eyes blinking in surprised. "Can you repeat what you said?"

"I said you'll be going with the Hyoutei regulars for their upcoming trip with other schools for their training," my teacher repeated calmly, and I nearly hyperventilated, screamed, and had a heart attack all at once in response.

"I'm not a regular anymore, so why am I included?" I muttered in wonderment before I looked at Atobe-kun for answer, knowing that he had something to with my current dilemma. I was in a deep hole, and I knew it without having anyone to tell me that I am. There was no way I could be in two places at once... there was no way I could be at the recording studio to record for new episodes, and be at the training camp at the same time. Why in the world am I invited to a tennis training camp if I stopped playing the said sport two years ago?

"You'll have to ask Sakaki-sensei, and Atobe-kun for that answer," the homeroom teacher replied helpfully, and then proceeded to take attendance as if he was not interrupted at all. I let out a deep sigh, and laid my head down on the desk whilst I secretly took out my cell phone, quickly typing a message to my manager to let her know of my dilemma.

"As you know, the cultural festival is in a week, please work hard on it as other schools would be coming to visit," he announced.

I leaned back against my seat as soon as the class returned to its chaotic chatters, and I closed my eyes with my hand draped over my forehead. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calculate a way through this mess, and the only thing I could think of was to push back the recording session so that it would be done after whatever I would doing at the training camp. Either that or I would have to go to the studio at another day and record my parts, or I would have to constantly travel back and forth between wherever the training camp is to the recording studio in Tokyo. What a hassle.

* * *

Originally I was going to refuse the offer to go to the tennis training camp, especially since I no longer play the sport, but at the same time, I wanted to know the answer to my unanswered questions. I regretted telling him that I did not want to talk to him until he apologizes to me properly; I felt that I needed to apologize to him instead.

'Ah, the drama of my life,' I mused as I leaned back against the wall whilst waiting for the ride to come. Nearby, Shishido and Mukahi were engaged in yet another verbal fight, which Oshitari found amusing and decided to watch. On the other hand, Ootori felt the need to stop his Shishido-senpai from punching the daylights out of Mukahi. I glanced around to see Hiyoshi, and Atobe standing around with a light scowl on their face.

I let out a soft sigh, and pushed my sunglasses to the bridge of my nose. I bent down to my bag, and grabbed my script book so that I can familiarize myself with its content for the recording. I found it rather depressing that Atobe-kun and I were having a cold war of some sort. Then again… I was the one who initiated in the heat of the moment, and now I regretted it to the point that I wanted to hide under a rock.

"What are you doing?" Mukahi felt the need to disturb me just as I had turned to the page. Apparently, he and Shishido got bored of insulting each other, which I found amusing because they were practically doing it every day.

"Work-related stuff," I responded without looking up from my reading, and only paused to let out a yawn. From what I knew, the bus was going to arrive late since it was picking up Seigaku regulars, and we would have to share it with them.

"What kind of stuff?" the redheaded acrobat continued to inquire, trying to look at my script book's title, but I merely showed to him the blank cover. Instead of answering this question, I just gave him a mysterious smile and buried myself in my work.

"Shishido-senpai, I forgot to bring my sleeping bag!" Ootori suddenly stated alarmingly, and nearly hyperventilated if it were not for his doubles partner.

The dash specialist tried to calm the taller boy as best as he could before stating, "...I'm sure we can share it,"

"Really?" Ootori asked with sparkly eyes, and glittering background, which Shishido and I wondered where it came from.

"Yes," Shishido nodded stiffly, glaring at his teammates for staring at him, and I merely chuckled in amusement before going back to my reading.

"Voice-acting stuff," I responded to Mukahi's earlier question, but before I could add anymore to what I had said, the bus arrived. I stifled a yawn as I stuffed my script book in my backpack and waited to board the vehicle.

* * *

I had a sneaking feeling that someone was conspiring against me, because the only seat available was the one next to Atobe-kun. I paused by the seat, and glanced at him to see if he would want me to sit next to him. He merely gave a small nod in response, and proceeded to stare outside the window, even though there was not anything to look at.

I let out a small sigh, not knowing what to say, and took out my music player as well as my script. I might as well start practicing a new song that I would be singing as a character song. I leaned back against my seat, and tapped my finger on my knee as I counted the rhythm.

'_Guilty Beauty Love_,' I thought of the title with a small smile, and added bitterly, 'How perfect for my situation,'

When I felt some stares boring through me, I opened my eyes to see the Hyoutei and Seigaku regulars staring at both Atobe-kun and me. "Do you need something?" I felt compelled to ask as I lowered my script book.

"There is a 98 percent chance that Atobe-kun and Akutagawa-kun had a fight," Seigaku's Inui commented as he scribbled something in his notebook. I merely ignored the comment and put away my script book with a silent promise to look at it another time.

"Saa… Akutagawa-kun, we haven't seen you in any of the tournaments in the past two years," Fuji stated with his usual smile plastered on his face. Since the seats were lined up vertically, we all could see one another, and what sucks is that all of Seigaku's regulars were looking at me for answers. Well, Tezuka-kun, as usual, looked uninterested in this conversation.

"Did you get dropped from your position or something?" Momoshiro inquired bluntly, earning a jab from his rival.

"Something like that," I replied with a shrug, silently debating if I should let them know, and let out a sigh as I stretched in my seat. "I've been dropped from my regular position for two years now,"

"Then why are you here?" Echizen Ryoma questioned as blunt as ever. He earned a smack from Momoshiro for being rude to his senior.

"I got blackmailed into coming," I responded as I leaned back against my seat, and closed my eyes even though they were still covered behind my sunglasses. It turned out that it was Rina-chan who added my name into the list for the training camp, and when I told her that I refuse to attend, she said she would call my boss to have me pose nude for a magazine called _AnAn._

Normally, I would be unfazed by these kinds of empty blackmail, but Rina-chan knows my boss rather well, and the latter even treats her as if she was his own niece. All in all, I was in no position to refuse, because I knew my boss would not hesitate to call the magazine if my sister asked him, and he would conspire with Rina against me in a heartbeat. Miyazawa-san, for the two years that I have known him, is a sadist, just like a certain Seigaku tensai.

I quietly looked over to everyone, almost sighed in relieve when I realized they were engaging in their own conversation, and not paying attention to me anymore. "I'm…sorry about yesterday," I muttered with my gaze boring to my new black boots, silently noting how shiny they were. Yes, they were _that_ interesting. If I had looked at Atobe-kun, I would had noticed that he was surprised my sudden apology.

"Ore—I mean, I'm sorry too," he mumbled, stumbling over his own words which earned a chuckle from me. He, in turn, shot a mock glare towards my laughing visage before we both relaxed and sat in comfortable silence.

"I don't know what happened to us two years ago, and I have no recollection of that night either," Atobe admitted as he ran his hand through his hair. I looked at him in surprised at the news, but stayed silent as he continued to talk, "But I would like us to start over, if you don't mind,"

"I'd like that," I nodded in agreement with my finger poised near my mouth. "But it'll have to be a secret, and behind the cameras' back. You know what kind of job I have," I reminded quietly, not wanting the Seigaku regulars to hear our conversation, and I continued, "But I also would like to know what actually occurred to made you act the way you did then,"

"Oh, your cell phone is ringing," Atobe reminded as he gestured to my pocket where a soft melody of '_Discovery'_ is playing.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile as I stood up to fish my cell phone, and sat back down before answering to the caller, "Hello, Sakura-san," I greeted to my manager calmly and leaned back against my seat. I pulled my cell phone away from my ear for a few seconds, just in time to hear her ranting her heart out asking me where in the world I had disappeared to.

"Didn't Rina-chan called you to tell you the plan?" I responded as soon as she finished ranting to her heart's content, and ignored the puzzle expressions from my fellow bus mates.

"I'm sort of blackmailed by my dear sister into coming, but if you can send a car in the afternoon, I'll be able to make it to the event today. I called Miyazawa-san to have him cancel with Nakamura-san for the next week, so we don't have to worry about that. Maa, maa, calm down Sakura-san. It wouldn't do you any good if you're freaking out about everything, As for that, it'll continue as normal from nine to noon, which is why I need someone to pick me up and drop me off afterwards. The jacket is going to be done tomorrow at dawn, I already told Miyazawa-san of the details, and he'll be arranging everything. I did call you, but you didn't pick up so I left you a voicemail," I chuckled in amusement when I heard my manager-san freaking out once more. Finally, she calmed down enough to ask me when I would be releasing my new song. "I haven't decided yet, but Miyazawa-san said it should be next week. So we have a week to do promo, but today will be the first. The posters will be out in a couple days, and I'm sure you know what to do, correct?"

I glanced around the bus before I noticed a cooler near the front, and walked over to it. As I listened to my manager complaining about how unfair I was being for piling up so many work on her, I took out a water bottle and walked back to my seat. "It can't be helped, because… you know," I muttered to the phone, and scowled at the fact that the water bottle was being stubborn.

I heard a sigh from my left, and a hand grabbing my water bottle before the person handed back to me with it opened. I looked at the person as I accepted the drink, and realized it was Atobe-kun. "Thank you," I mouthed my gratitude before I chugged the cool drink, nearly draining it halfway.

"What in the world!" I nearly spat out my drink, and almost sprayed Shishido, who was sitting across from me. I ignored all eyes staring at me in confused, and grabbed the cap from Atobe's hand, silently securing my drink. "There is NO WAY I am accepting that offer. I thought Rina was joking when she told me that yesterday. You _know_ I didn't have time to sort through all the files. I'm not doing it, _I'm not doing it, I'm NOT doing it_," I repeated over and over, almost desperately as I clenched onto my nearly empty water bottle.

At my sudden outburst, nearly all conversations ceased, and everyone's attention was focused on me. Not that I was paying attention to them, since I have a new dilemma to resolve. "Oh, and say something like _'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?'_ for the cover? No! It's not a good idea, Sakura-san. I was just joking!" I cried out as I started pacing back and forth on the bus.

If it were not for my current situation, I would have laughed at the shocked expressions on Atobe, Oshitari, Tezuka, and Fuji. It looked like they knew French, or at least understood the slang I said.

"I am not doing it, and that's final~! I don't care if Kaji-nii accepted it for me. You're going to make some sort of excuse as to why I refused, and even if it sounds outlandish, I am refusing! Good day! I _said_, good day, Sakura-san!" I was huffing by the time I finished my phone call, and bent down on my knees, trying to regain my breaths.

"Now, Akutagawa-kun," Fuji started with a chuckle as he opened his eyes slightly, "What's with the phrase, 'Do you want to sleep with me tonight?'"


	7. Chapter 7

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

"You're too young to be thinking about these things!" that was the first thing Oishi blurted out. I let out a deep sigh as I stood up from my seat, despite knowing that everyone was staring at me.

"Don't tell me you're actually considering it, Jirou-senpai," Ootori exclaimed with his eyes widen when I did not responded to Seigaku's Oishi's statement. I leaned against the pole near the front, and crossed my arms across my chest.

Instead of giving a proper response to my kouhai, I laughed, and laughed until my sides were hurting. "Have you even looked at the magazine? There's no way I would take risqué photos, and let myself land in a scandal. Besides, it's a magazine for older women, and if I remember correctly, it's for women over twenty. And think of what EVERYONE would say if they saw me like that,"

"What are you talking about, nya?" Kikumaru Eiji interrupted as he unknowingly placed his hand on Oishi's lap while leaning forward. The latter blushed at the contact, not that Kikumaru-kun noticed.

"Nothing," I chuckled amusedly as I repressed a shudder, knowing that I nearly landed a job with _AnAn_. It happened to be a beauty and fashion magazine, which I would not mind participating in, if it were not for the fact that the magazine is for adult women. Once every year around this time, the magazine releases a rather _special_ issue with myriad of articles relating to sex; the 'how-to's', the positions, the toys, about prevention pills, about condoms usage, plus opinions and quotes from various specialists and therapists.

Normally, it would just be about fashion and beauty tips with rising stars posing with various beauty products, or modeling newest fashion. These were something I did not mind doing, really; but the special edition where the model had to be nude, and taking pictures with another equally nude model (female, if the main model happened to be male, and vice versa)… that is where I draw the line.

How did I know this? Someone from the agency was complaining about it last year when he landed a job with them. Apparently, he got scarred from that experience, and was complaining rather loudly in the cafeteria. Which is why, I told myself I would never do a job with that magazine… no matter how much I get paid for it. There was no way I am going to pose nude. I mean, what would my mother say?

"Saa… I think you're hiding something, Akutagawa-kun," Fuji stated placidly with a smile that clearly says, 'you-better-tell-me-or-else'.

"I am so going to ship my brother dearest to Amazon once I get a hold of him," I muttered darkly under my breath, blatantly ignoring Fuji's rather twitching expression because the tensai got disregarded.

* * *

When we arrived to the training camp, I noticed the Rikkai Dai regulars had already arrived, and my sister was standing between Niou, and Yukimura. I let out a sigh, and slipped on my sunglasses before exiting the bus first. Normally, it would be Atobe-kun who exits first because he is dramatic like that, but this time, I am hogging the spotlight.

"Rina-chan, explain," I demanded with a deep scowl, and ran my hand through my hair. I would have emitted glares if it were not for the fact that I was wearing my sunglasses.

"You needed a break," she reminded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Which is why I signed you up for this," Rina smiled nervously and stepped back when I approached to her like a predator.

"I don't need a break when I'm this busy," I groaned in frustration, and put my sunglasses on top of my head. "But I appreciate the thought, but regardless of that," I added with a nod before I walked passed her whilst I whispered some instructions to her. "I'll need a car to pick me up for my appearance today. Make sure you make it happen,"

I then walked over to grab my bag, and walked towards a rather intimidating house. It was one of Atobe-kun's summer "cottages", which normal people would define as a mansion. Behind me, the Seigaku, and Rikkai Dai regulars were whispering loudly about my sudden calmness.

'This 'cottage' was as big as I remembered it,' I thought in amusement as I unceremoniously dropped my bag near one of the many sofas, and laid down with my forearm covering my eyes.

Within the next couple of moments, the once silent house was filled with noisy chatters, and everyone piled into the living room. I did not have to move from my spot to feel many stares boring through me. I merely closed my eyes and tried to get a couple of hours of sleep before my busy life consumes me yet again.

"Rina, wake me up at 11," I mumbled sleepily, and whatever anyone said afterwards… I did not hear them.

* * *

"Jirou, wake up," a familiar voice called out while shaking me on my shoulder. I muttered incoherently but did not make a move to wake up. It was too comfortable, soft, and warm. With those thoughts in mind, I pulled the blanket over my head before I remembered that I did not have a blanket when I went to nap.

I immediately sat and looked at my surrounding to realize that I was not in the living room anymore. I was in a rather large bedroom that I am sure Atobe-kun called it 'normal size', and noticed that the said person was the one who woke me up. Before I could inquire to him as to why he was here, and who carried me to this location, I noticed the time.

"Gah! I'm late!!" I shouted and hastily threw my covers off before running to the adjacent bathroom. Even though I had not been in this house for years, I still remember where most places are.

I quickly got ready for my TV appearance, which meant brushing my teeth, doing my hair, make-up, accessories, and such. I noticed that since my hair had been dyed repeatedly for two years consecutively that the blonde color is slowly turning into chestnut brown.

"No time to muse," I chided quietly before clipping on my earring, and readjusted my tie. I put on my long black hooded vest prior to leaving the bathroom. "I'll be back later tonight," that was all I said to Atobe, and left the room.

Since the regulars were having a practice match against each other, it was easy for me to slip away into the car that Rina had prepared. I quickly told the driver of my destination before I slipped on my contacts when the driver was not looking at me.

Luckily, we were just outskirt of Tokyo; it was rather fast to reach to Roppongi, where the broadcasting station is located. I knew that the _Music Station_ broadcast would not only be aired nationally, but it would also be international because it has networks in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other religions that I had forgot at the moment.

"This should be fun," I mumbled as I stared at the passing scenery.

* * *

I met with Sakura-san in front of the studio, and noticed her pacing back and forth with a clipboard in her hands. I could not help but let out a chuckle at her antics, and then turned my attention to the taxi driver. I took out some cash for the trip fee before I got out of the vehicle. I readjusted my attire as I approached to my panicking manager because I was late. Well, I was _fashionably _late for ten minutes, and I already have her in frenzy.

"Sakura-san, please calm down," I reminded with a sigh, and ruffled my hair a bit in an exasperated manner. "It wouldn't do us any good if you're panicking,"

"JIROU-sama, next time please let me know if you'll be late," Sakura-san whined as she readjusted her attire, and hair. "Anyways, let's go in," she mumbled but I had already walked ahead of her.

"Wait for me~" she cried out as she rushed toward me, and I slowed my pace a bit so that she could catch up.

I waited in the waiting room with other artists whilst Sakura-san was led to a seat in the studio with other audience members. I looked around the room, and noticed some of the famous artists that I saw on various media sources. I turned my attention to the giant television screen as the hosts introduced other artists, and readied myself for my appearance.

"Last but not least, please welcome JIROU," the male host announced as I walked out to the spotlight, and walked down the small steps. I gave a small wave to the crowds, and nearly got blasted away from the sheer loudness of screams and applauses.

I stood next to this cool male artist, whom I found out is Kato Kazuki from a female host, and pretended to be interested in the small talk the hosts did with other artists. I was staring at the pretty lights while inwardly planning how to get an autograph from Kato-san after the show.

"JIROU-san, you will be singing first tonight," the male host stated as I snapped out of my daydream, and gave a small bow when I heard my name to show that I was paying attention. "What kind of song will you be singing today?" he asked.

"Well, I've sung 'pop ballads' that you can dance to up until now, such as _Break a Road, Kiss x Kiss, Discovery_," I explained as I listed some of the songs that I have released in the past, and continued, "But this time, it's a slow ballad song that I wrote myself,"

As soon as I said that, the whole room exclaimed various words of awe and surprise. I had to resist the urge to plug my ears from the loudness of the audience, and was almost unable to hear the hosts telling me to 'stand by' to sing.

* * *

I let out a yawn when Sakura-san dropped me off at the cottage, and bid her farewell before I walked towards the front door. I had change into different attire that I bought from Roppongi earlier, and placed my changed clothes in a bag. After all, there are regulars who do not know my dual identities, so I had to take necessary measures.

I rang the door bell, and let out a yawn whilst I waited for someone to let me in. As soon as the door opened, I walked in without a second thought, greeted and thanked Oishi for opening the door, and plopped down at the large dining table.

"Welcome back, aniki," Rina stated with a smile as she handed me a cold bottle of water. Since the coaches had prohibited the help from Atobe-kun's maids, chefs, and butlers, we were in charge of everything, and that included making dinner ourselves.

In exchange for my drink, I handed her a shopping bag, and said with a playful grin, "Since I needed a new outfit, I got you one too. Hopefully, I got the right size, and right style; if not, I can always go back and exchange it,"

"Oh my gosh, it's from Roppongi Hills," my sister gushed as she peered into the bag, and squealed when she saw the content. "You are awesome!" she said with glee before giving me a hug, and then skipped off to her room.

"What was it?" Niou inquired as he watched some of the regulars cooking dinner. He sat in the chair across from me, and raised an eyebrow at my tired visage but did not remarked about it.

"A dress, a shirt, a pair of pants, and a scarf," I replied with a shrug, and stood up from my seat while I stretched my tired muscles. "Be right back," that was all I said before I trekked to my assigned room.

"Jirou-nii, they're going to show it today, right?" Rina inquired from down the hall, just as I walked in my room. Once I made sure that no one was present, I proceeded to change into a simple T-shirt, and slacks. I grabbed a box of accessories that I had taken off at the store from my bag, and put it back in my duffle bag.

"Yeah, the usual channel at eight o'clock!" I responded without missing a beat, and moved my clothes from my bag to my duffle bag. I walked to the adjacent bathroom to wash my hands before I headed back downstairs to relax. I wondered what everyone did today…

"Akutagawa-kun, where were you all day?" Fuji smiled as soon as he saw me walked into the kitchen. Next to him, Kikumaru-kun, Hiyoshi-kun, Marui-kun, and Yagyuu-kun were making dinner.

"Yeah, you missed out on all the fun we had, right guys?" Momoshiro butted in, but immediately shied away when he noticed Fuji's piercing glare.

"I had some businesses to take care of," I responded with a business-smile, and grabbed my half-drank water bottle from the table. "Oh, and you don't need to cook my share. I already had dinner with Sakura-san,"

"That's not fair, you could've invited me too," Rina whined with a pout, but nevertheless, hopped back to the living room when I gave her an apologetic smile.

"Ore-sama does not eat anything that doesn't come from the finest chef," Atobe stated stubbornly with his arms crossed, and stared at the meals prepared by the only regulars amongst us who could cook.

"Well then, more for us then," Momoshiro responded gluttonously, which promptly earned a jab and a glare from his teammates. "What, if he won't eat his portion, then I will," he added innocently.

"What, Monkey King, can't handle eating 'commoner' food?" Echizen-kun taunted with a haughty smirk, and I could see Atobe-kun twitching at the comment.

"…If Ore-sama must," the Atobe heir grumbled as he poked at his scrambled eggs like it would come alive.

* * *

Once dinner was done with, the twenty-two of us scatter about in the living room, even though some of them looked as if they wished to be anywhere but in the living room. I let out a yawn, and leaned back against a recliner that I stole under from Marui-kun, and hogged the whole furniture to myself.

The room was noisy with various chatters, but I did not care as I was very comfortable in my seat, and closed to falling asleep. That is until my sister peered down at me, and poked on my forehead multiple times.

"I heard that you denied to be in _AnAn_," Rina giggled as I opened my eyes, and twitched at her laughing expression. "Well, I can't really blame you; after all… they're shooting for the special edition,"

"Who did you hear the news from?" I inquired with an eyebrow raised, and somehow, I was fully awake now. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Atobe-kun was paying attention, but at the same time, pretending to be busy with something.

"From Kaji-nii, who heard it from Miyazawa-san, who heard it from Sakura-san, who you talked with earlier today," she answered and sat down on a recliner's arm. "Well, not that I blame you, because mom will have a fit when she sees you in a risqué pose. But I don't think your fans would mind," Rina let out a scoff at the last phrase, and I silently agreed with her statement.

"Does that include you?" I mused with a smirk, and laughed at her sputtering expression.

"What are you two whispering about, nya?" Kikumaru-kun questioned curiously as he ignored his doubles partner scolding him for interrupting a private conversation, "What… I just wanted to know what they're talking, nya," he whined with a pout, but nevertheless, leaned against Oishi on the sofa. The latter was blushing to a new shade of red, which Fuji chuckled in amusement as he took a picture.

I checked around the room to see that everyone was engaging in a different conversation, which was convenient for me because this way, no one would hear my conversation. I stifled a yawn before I refocused my attention to my chat with my sister about my career.

"So which song did you sang on _Music Station_?" Rina asked with an eyebrow raised, and made a gesture towards me to scoot over, which I did wordlessly. She sat down next to me, despite the fact that the recliner chair was made for one person only.

"_Refrain_," I responded without missing a beat, and wiggled a bit in my seat to get comfortable. "I'm shooting the CD jacket tomorrow morning, so can you help me with my hair?" I requested as I ran my hand through my hair.

"Talking about your hair," she started as she grabbed a fringe and stared at it in a scrutinizing manner before remarking of the fact that, "It's slowly turning to chestnut brown,"

"I know, at this rate, it'll only be a matter of time," I replied with a groan, and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed that the show is starting. I let out a chuckle, and said, "It's show time,"

"SHHH!!! It's starting!" Rina shouted happily as she bounced off her seat, and shot multiple glares at the regulars who kept talking. "You! Be quiet! I want to hear JIROU-san singing without any interruptions!" she glared and scowled at Momoshiro, and Kaidoh, who were having their daily fights.

_"…what kind of song will you be singing today?"_ At this point, I stood up from my comfortable seat, and headed towards the kitchen. I hastily pour some hot water in a cup, and dropped a cough drop in. This was my usual drink whenever I think my throat is hurting from all the singing.

_"--__describe love as a mosaic in my heart."_ It was weird to see myself on the giant television screen, but nevertheless, I leaned forward against the sofa next to Atobe-kun. I checked to make sure that no one was paying attention me, and once I confirmed it, I mouthed the lyric whilst occasionally sipping on my drink.

"Rina-chan, volume," that was all I said to remind my sister to lower the volume, just as the song finished. Even though the volume was lowered to near mute, the occupants in the room nearly gone deaf by the fans cheering, and screaming.

_"JIROU-san's newest single, 'Refrain', will be released next week Friday,"_ the male host announced as soon as the fans quieted down.

_"It's truly remarkable to see him come this far in a short amount time,"_ the female host remarked in awe, while I saw myself walking towards the hosts, and finally stood next to them. _"This is the first time we heard something like this from you, what made you compose a song as this?"_

_"I wanted to try something adult-like, and write a song about wanting to free yet at the same time, yearning to be with that special someone,"_ that was the response I gave, and almost made me hide my face in embarrassment.

'What kind of answer was that!?' that was all I could think of, and occupied myself with my drink as I continued watching.

_"I wanted this song to be based on my experience, yet at the same time, let my listeners relate to their own experience,"_

_"Alright, thank you, JIROU-san,"_ the female host nodded in gratitude, and continued, _"Coming up after the break is --" _

Rina grabbed the remote and turned off the television before she stood up to announce, "Let's play 'Truth or Dare'! It's still early, so you all have to participate,"

"Rina," I almost groaned when I heard her idea, and continued to remind her, "Tomorrow, 4 AM, remember?"

"But aniki," she whined with a pout, and looked at me with puppy-dog eyes, "It's only eight o'clock right now. There's still some time, so please~" I gave her a slight scowl before sighed exasperatedly, but nonetheless, gave in to her request.

"What, what's happening tomorrow at 4 AM?" Kirihara inquired as he looked around the room. I just gave him a mysterious smile in response, but did not say anything.

"To those who refuses, welcome," Inui grinned sadistically as he held up a pitcher of clear blue colored drink. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the Seigaku regulars shivered at the sight of the juice. Well, except for Tezuka-kun, because he is stoic at all times.

"Sadaharu, I believe you got the formula wrong, because it's supposed to be something like this," Yanagi Renji commented as he gestured towards the clear red drink that bubbled from out of nowhere. I did not know what to say to those two, but I am perfectly sure that drinks are not supposed to bubble.

"That's weird," Inui mumbled as he consulted with his trusty notebook.

"We should move all the furniture around so we have more room," Oshitari suggested with a smirk, as if he was planning something. Then again… I would not put it past him because I _know_ that he is already conspiring something.

* * *

So once we cleared off all obstacles, all of us sat in a rather large circle with an empty champagne bottle placed innocently in the middle. None of us moved, and stared at each other while silently wondering who will go first. With a sigh, I placed my near empty drink next to me, and spun the bottle.

'Oh, look at it go,' I thought idly as it spun, and finally stopped. It was pointing to Fuji, who just smiled away at my slight scowl. Oh curses, what am I going to ask him…

"Truth or dare?" I inquired as I searched through my brain for ideas.

"Dare," he responded with his eyes slightly opened, as if daring me to come up with my best idea.

"Hmm… I dare you to… hmm… kiss Tezuka-kun," I smirked as if it was the most brilliant idea ever. After all, I had seen him casting small glances towards the stoic captain. "On the lips," I added as an afterthought, and let out an even bigger smirk when the two froze up a bit. If I had looked up from my drink, I would have noticed that Fuji was piercing his gaze through my soul.

* * *

**Note:** I...need ideas for 'Truth and Dare'... so if you have any, please let me know **bows**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

**Warning:** Non-rated G contents, and other craziness that comes with 'Truth or Dare'. Yeah...

* * *

I stared, and stared as the bottle spun for a few seconds before it decided to point at someone. Fuji merely smiled wider, if that was possible, when the bottle landed on Niou. The trickster just raised an eyebrow when he saw that he was the next participant, not _victim_.

"Saa… Niou-kun, truth or dare?" I heard Fuji inquired placidly and slightly leaned against Tezuka, who stiffened at first, and then relaxed.

"Dare," the trickster responded in an unafraid manner, and let out a smirk as if daring the tensai to come up with the best dare possible.

Fuji slightly opened his eyes, blatantly ignoring the fact that Kikumaru leapt in his doubles partner's arms, and let out a sadistic smirk, "Well then, I dare you to _French kiss_ Yagyuu-kun,"

"M-m-minna, we should keep this rated G," Oishi sputtered with a red face, and looked around for help. Tezuka-kun gave a short glance towards the vice-captain of Seigaku, but did not do or say anything before he returned his attention back to a thick English novel. Sanada-kun muttered something under his breath, and left the circle.

"Saa… Oishi, we passed that border a long time ago," Fuji responded amicably as he watched half of the regulars looking away with a blushing face. The other half were just rooted on the spot, unable to turn away, and continued to watch in fascinated horror at Niou _kissing_ Yagyuu.

The latter broke away a few seconds later, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Masaharu, stop being inappropriate in front of others," Yagyuu chided as he held the trickster's wandering hand.

"Does that mean I can act inappropriately when we're alone?" Niou smirked triumphantly while he pulled his hand away from Yagyuu's vice-like grip. He laughed when his doubles partner was unable to say anything, and instead stuttered incoherently about being proper and whatnot.

"Okay, my turn, puri~" the trickster chortled as he spun the bottle, and licked the top of his lips with his tongue. I did not need to be a mind reader to know that he had already begun planning.

"Kikumaru-kun, truth or dare?" he asked with a calculating smirk, and watched in amusement when the said person gulped nervously.

"Truth, nya," Seigaku's acrobat responded uneasily, and widen his eyes in horror when Niou's smirk grew even wider.

"Do you like-_like_ Oishi?" Niou questioned as he clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed. I think it was because Kikumaru-kun chose 'Truth' instead of 'Dare' like Niou had hoped for.

"Of course I like Oishi," Kikumaru responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The said person blushed considerably at the statement, but did not say anything as the acrobat spun the bottle.

"Ochibi~! Truth or dare?" the redhead shouted with glee as soon as he saw the bottle pointing at Echizen-kun.

"Truth," 'Ochibi' responded as he took a sip of his drink, and let out a twitch of annoyance when he saw that everyone was looking at him. That is, everyone, except Tezuka-kun, of course.

"Saa… Ryoma, I didn't know you are scared of this harmless game," Fuji provoked innocently with an equally _innocent_ smile, and added in wonderment, "I thought you'd be…oh, I don't know…up for the challenge,"

"Che," that was all Echizen responded as he glared at his sadistic senpai, but did not changed his prior answer.

"You're no fun, Ochibi," Kikumaru pouted with his arms crossed, but nevertheless, issued the challenge, "Do you like Ryuzaki-chan?"

"She's tolerable," Echizen answered with a shrug, and continued sipping his drink whilst the Seigaku's acrobat exclaimed that answer was unacceptable, and such.

"Mada mada dane, senpai," the cocky first year stated with a smirk, and spun the bottle so that the spotlight moves away from him. "Oi, monkey king, truth or dare?"

"Brat, stop calling me by that god-awful name," Atobe responded haughtily as he flicked his hair. I let out a snicker at the exchange, but immediately quiet down when I realized Atobe-kun was glancing at me. "Ore-sama chooses truth,"

"Hmm… I didn't know you were such a coward, monkey king," Echizen mumbled idly as he eyed at the said person with a smirk.

"I don't need to hear that from you, brat. You chose the same thing," Atobe retorted with a huff.

"Touché," he responded with a small scowl, and let out a snarky smirk, "Have you ever gone to the idol JIROU's concert, or kept up with his latest activities?"

"Ore-same doesn't know why you're asking this, but of course Ore-sama is up-to-date with what's going on in our society," Atobe replied with a small scowl, and sent a small cast towards my direction.

* * *

I think someone was truly conspiring against me, because no matter who spun the bottle, it always landed on me half the time. This had been going for the past seven rounds, and I could not help but think that it was planned. I glanced around the room, and saw Rina-chan, Oshitari-kun, Fuji-kun, Niou-kun, and Yukimura-kun smirking rather triumphantly at this. I let out a defeated sigh, and silently wondered what in the world they were planning.

"Alright, Jirou, truth or dare?" Mukahi asked with a sly grin, which made me think that he was in on this unknown plan.

"Dare," I responded with an unceremonious twitch, and braced myself for the terror. I unconsciously knew that if I choose 'truth', they were going to ask me questions relating to my idol persona.

"I dare you to…" he trailed off with a ponder expression, and glanced to his doubles partner for help, "What would be a good dare, Yuushi?"

"Hey! No helping!" I cried out, and gulped down my fear when I saw Oshitari-kun eyeing at me with a conniving smirk as he whispered something to Mukahi-kun.

"Oh…my…god," that was all Mukahi said as his face nearly matches to the color of his hair. Everyone, including me, waited with berated breath for what he is going to say. "Okay, I dare you to give a lap dance, strip tease, _and_ French kiss to Atobe," he finally stated with a smirk.

"SAY WHAT!" most of the regulars screamed in surprised, and shock as they looked at me, and then at Atobe-kun, before looking back at me. Nearby, Echizen-kun nearly sprayed his drink, and choked on it as he continuously pounded his chest before he was gasping for breath.

"As expected of _Dirty Pair_," Niou chuckled in amusement. I just stared at Atobe in horror at the things I was 'supposed' to do, and he just looked at me as if he wanted to hide under a rock.

"This should be interesting," Fuji-kun commented pleasantly with a sadistic smile.

"Yes, indeed," Yukimura-kun agreed amicably as if he did not mind the chaotic noise of chatters.

"Oh, and you have to sing and dance to this song I found in your MD player," Rina-chan added as she plugged my music player to the speaker. The familiar techno-like song began playing while I let out a scowl, and remained rooted on my spot. That is, until someone nudged me, and then pushed me to the middle of the circle.

"Why should I do this? Besides, isn't it supposed to be just _one_ dare?" I grumbled with a scowl and my arms crossed across my chest. There was no way in the world that I am going to give Atobe-kun a lap dance, a strip tease, and a French kiss, besides… the mentioned person looked uncomfortable with the idea as it is.

"Because if you don't," Rina started with an evil grin as she took out her cell phone, and continued, "I'm going to call Miyazawa-san and tell him you agree to _that offer_," I paled considerably at her blackmail/threat, and bit the bottom of her my lips, as I weighted the options before letting out a defeated sigh. As much as I disliked the idea, it was better to be embarrassed here than to be on various tabloids nationally _and_ internationally. Heh, what am I thinking? It's better not to be humiliated at all.

"I'm not singing the whole thing," I stated with a scoff as I walked over to reset the song, and added, "Besides… even if you can't tell from the instrumental music, it _is_ rather… rated R,"

"Why do you have something like that?" Fuji-kun inquired in an amused tone, and continued with a chuckle, "I didn't know you are like _that_, Akutagawa-kun,"

"Heh, I just like the band," I responded while I reset the song yet again, and added with a sigh, "Let's just get this over with," I accepted a headset from my sister, vaguely wondering where in the world she got it from, and tapped the mouthpiece a couple of times to test it.

"Let's begin," I stated softly with a sigh as soon as the instrumental music began playing. "I am not liable for any trauma, fainting, nosebleed, and whatnot you'll get from this," I immediately added as soon as the instrumental music ended.

_"Draining up this glass  
Your secret eyes looking at me almost makes me melt," _

I started in a husky yet slightly deep tone. I inwardly laughed at the surprised expressions from everyone, especially Atobe-kun. I slowly approached to him like a predator to its prey while I ran one hand through my hair. My other hand slowly ran through the side of my body, and stopped at the hem of my pants as I slightly pulled it down diagonally, but made sure I was not revealing anything inappropriate.

_"My wavering passion, something is beginning  
Tonight's the night," _

I reached to where Atobe-kun was sitting, and he looked at me with slightly widen eyes when I leaned over to him. My right knee was placed between his legs, almost touching him, and my left hand was on the back of the sofa to support my weight. I paused for a brief second to give him a kiss. I pulled away shortly after as I licked the top of my lips, and brushed the bottom with my right thumb.

_"Tell me what you want,  
If you don't tell me what you want, I won't know  
Just like the rumors say,  
Your prince-like_ _form is rather bold," _

I let out a smirk as I changed the lyric whilst I slowly traced the edge of his face, and finally stopped my finger on his lips. I leaned forward until I was a couple of millimeters away from his face while Atobe-kun froze in fascinated horror when I reached my hand under his shirt.

_"Want me? If you wish,  
Taste me? Do as you like to me  
I invite you to this special night  
Tonight, be my knight okay?" _

I whispered the lyric, and moved my right knee slightly. I let out a smirk when Atobe-kun stiffened unconsciously from my action, but I continued singing nevertheless. I brought my hand down further, stopping at the hem of his pants for a couple of seconds, and lightly brushed against him before bringing my hand upward.

_"Baby, crazy for you  
Come closer to me, don't be afraid  
Baby, so love me like this  
It won't stop for anything anymore, this imagination," _

I leaned forward until I was a couple of millimeters away from his face, and kissed him yet again. Once I finished the verse, I moved away from Atobe-kun, and stood up whilst wiping my lips with my thumb.

"I'm stopping here," I declared as the instrumental music continued playing, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when I heard my sister groaned. "I highly doubt some of them can handle this kind of show," I jabbed my thumb towards Oishi-kun with a nosebleed, Marui-kun looking like a gasping goldfish on land, and Ootori-kun and Momoshiro-kun on the floor, passed out.

"Wow, aniki," Rina said in amazement as she lowered her video camera. I blinked in surprised and openly gaped at her when I realized that she had recorded the whole scene. "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off _that_ well. Heck, I didn't even know you can put a show like that," she commented with a sly grin.

"Don't even think about selling it," I grumbled as I took off the headset, and glanced at Atobe-kun, who remained rooted in his spot. "Are you alright, Atobe-kun?"

"Yeah… fine… just fine," he mumbled in a un-Atobe-like manner, and crossed his legs elegantly. I raised an eyebrow at the action, but did not comment on it.

"You know, Akutagawa-kun," Inui started as he flipped through his notebook, and continued when he found the page he was looking for, "you sound just like JIROU-san,"

"Well, Jirou is my first name. So of course, I would sound like myself," I responded innocently, and merely raised an eyebrow when Niou-kun slapped his forehead almost in an exasperated manner.

"Heh, Atobe," Mukahi smirked as he eyed at his tennis captain with an even bigger smirk and a snicker, "Don't tell me you need a cold shower now," Nearby, Niou was hitting the floor as he laughed hysterically at the statement, and Atobe's rather stiff posture.

"Shut up," that was the smart reply the Atobe heir gave. Even Tezuka, who looked uninterested, cracked a small smile.

"Well, you guys can continue to play if you want," I started as I stretched my tired muscles, and glanced at the clock, "I'm going to go get ready for bed. I have an early morning tomorrow,"

"So you're going to leave Atobe with his problem?" Mukahi crackled as he laughed loudly. Even Niou, Yukimura, and Fuji joined in as the mentioned person shot piercing glares at the four.

"Huh?" I replied intelligently, and briefly wondered why Rina-chan looked at my exasperatedly.

"Ah, yes," Inui interrupted as he flipped through his notebook yet again, "Do tell us what's going tomorrow morning at four in the morning,"

The regulars who did not know my dual identities looked interested, and looked at me for my response. Tezuka-kun looked disinterested, and turned his attention towards his book; but I could tell that he was listening rather closely. The same goes with Sanada-kun, but it was hard to tell with him. I looked back at Inui-kun, and noticed that he was ready to jolt down whatever statements I will say.

I let out an amused chuckle before I responded, "If you can wake up early for it, and manage to find me, you'll know. Good night,"

It was getting more difficult for me to hide my secret, especially when my blonde hair is slowly becoming chestnut brown, and dying my hair back and forth would only damage it further. Besides that little factor, I keep slipping into my idol persona more often than I would have liked, and I noticed that I am slowly loosing who I used to be. As strangely as this would sound, I like this change…

* * *

I groaned incoherently when I heard an annoying beeping noise that is my cell phone alarm. I grabbed at the said item from the headboard of the bed, cracked an eye to look at the time, and groggily sat up. I stared at the darkness for a few minutes before I made a move towards the bathroom. It was too early, but a job is a job… no matter what time it happened to be.

I brushed my teeth, showered, and did my usual morning routine as quietly as possible. It was only two in the morning, and all the occupants were still sleeping. After all, I could hear a loud snore coming from three doors down. I wrapped a towel around my waist, and padded through the carpeted floor.

Once I grabbed a pair of outfit that I decided to wear for the photo shoot, I quickly changed whilst shivering at the cold wind breezing through a small opening of the window. I glanced at myself in the mirror, making sure that my leather pants, and my long sleeved white silk shirt looked okay.

With a satisfied nod, I slipped on a pair of black boots, and made sure that my pants were over it, not tucked within. I let out a yawn, and groggily picked up my black fur jacket, pocketed my cell phone before I walked out of my assigned room.

The whole mansion was quiet, and dark, which frightened me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard one of the regulars' snore. I slowly made my way through the dimly lit hallway, and reached to the kitchen some minutes later.

I yawned as I pour myself a cup of tea, and silently mused at how warm the cup is before I cautiously took a sip. It was nearing 3:30 in the morning, and I could not help but fear that one of the regulars who does not know my secret might walk in. Besides, should that person walk in at this moment, he might see a fancily dressed idol, instead of seeing the plain Akutagawa Jirou.

With that fear bubbling within me, I finished my drink, and quietly walked out of the house. A cold yet fresh air breezed by me, and I inhaled deeply before I made my way towards my rendezvous location. It was on top of a hill that happened to be slightly further from the tennis courts. I had wanted to make a shoot with the sunrise as the background, which is why this photo shoot had to be at an ungodly hour.

I waited as the staff members set up the camera and lighting equipments, and rubbed my hands together to keep myself warm. I felt like laughing loudly as if I am a maniac when I remembered the looks on everyone's face yesterday. I could not help but be amused at how uncomfortable Atobe-kun was when I stopped half-way.

"JIROU-san, everything is ready," the producer of this project stated as I rubbed my hands together, and shivered when a cold breeze blew by. Why did mornings have to this cold?

I could not help but be awed at the set, and vaguely wondered how the staff managed to find electric plugs for all the materials that required it. That is, until I saw some vans, and found my answer. I stifled a yawn, and proceeded to walk in front of the cameras, and lights.

I felt warm air blowing to my face from a rather large fan, and nearly fell asleep standing up because it was so comfortable. I almost gone deaf when the producer shouted "I want to see cool, and wild! And action!" through a makeshift mega-horn.

* * *

I slipped back into the house, silently hoping that no one was awake yet, so that no one would notice me. I waited with berated breath when I opened the door, and frantically glanced around to see how was awake at this hour. When I did not hear anything or see anything, I practically ran up the stairs and towards my bedroom.

I panted heavily as I leaned against the door, and made a mental note to myself that I should exercise more. It took me some time to change back into my regular image, but managed to succeed it after an hour or so.

I let out a yawn for the umpteenth time that morning, and proceeded to change my fancy clothes into a simpler one. It was a navy blue short-sleeved shirt, a pair of tan colored jeans, and a pair of black sandals. I took off my earring, my necklace, and most of my rings except for one, which happened to be a skull ring that I had on my right middle finger.

By the time I was finished, it was nearing seven o'clock. From the sounds of chatters, pot clacking against one another, I could easily estimate that almost all occupants in the house were awake. I walked down the stairs in my half unbuttoned shirt, and ruffled my hair tiredly whilst I covered my mouth with the other hand as I yawned.

I did not even realize that some of the regulars were staring at me, until I opened my eyes. Well, it seemed only Hyoutei regulars were up at the moment. I just sat down in one of the empty dining room chairs, and made myself comfortable before I attempted to sleep. Of course, with this many people hustling about, sleep was virtually impossible in their presences.

"So Atobe, how many cold showers did you have to take last night?" Oshitari chuckled as he and his doubles partner walked down the stairs. The tensai ignored various forms of death glares, and took a seat across from me.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll _kindly_ shut up," Atobe responded with a deep scowl, and crossed his legs once again.

"I didn't know you could do those kinds of things, Jirou," Shishido commented with slight red tints on his face. He was sitting on the left of Oshitari, and put some sort of jam on his toasted bread.

"You'll be surprised what kinds of things you are made to do when you enter the entertainment world," I scoffed amusedly and gave a silent thanks to my sister when she brought me my breakfast. "Besides, you _know_ you're famous when fans start writing fictional stories about you, and posting them online,"


	9. Chapter 9

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

"Wait, what?" Mukahi inquired with furrowed eyebrows, as if he was confused by what I had stated. "You've seen fictional stories about yourself? That's creepy and weird,"

"I'm still shocked and surprised about last night," Rina admitted as she sat down next to me, and glanced over the other occupants around the table.

"It's not very different from concerts," I responded with a light shrug, and took a sip of my tea before continuing, "Tease your audience a bit, make their imagination run wild, and whatnot. Of course, make sure you look confident while doing it or else the whole act will be ruined,"

"You sure seem to be good at it," Shishido snorted in amusement, and leaned over to grab a pitcher of orange juice. He poured himself a glass before he set the pitcher back to its place.

"Of course I have to be," I answered as it was the most obvious thing in the world, and added, "Would you rather see me standing stiffly on stage, and just utter the lyric? That'd be so boring,"

"Either way, you sure gave Atobe a hell of a problem," Mukahi chortled as he purposely ignored a death glare.

"Stop talking about it," the said person demanded with a scowl whilst I just chuckled in amusement but did not comment on it.

It was then that Seigaku, and Rikkai Dai regulars walked in. Some of them looked like they had just rolled off the bed, whilst the others looked like they had been up for a couple of hours, and looked refreshed.

"Do you have anything planned today?" Rina inquired as I stood up from my seat, and took my plates to the kitchen. Once I finished, I walked back into the dining room, and leaned against the doorframe.

"Morning people," I greeted to the regulars who just walked in, and turned my attention back to Rina-chan, "Not really, do you have anything planned that I should be wary of?"

"Not particularly, but I do want to see the photos you did today," she replied with a grin, and added as an afterthought, "I'm also wondering what other tracks you will be adding since the singles usually have three to four tracks,"

"What are you talking about? What photos, and what tracks?" Yukimura interrupted pleasantly with a smile. I glanced over to my right just in time to see the remaining regulars sat down with a plate of breakfast.

"You'll just have to wait just like other people," I grinned as I stretched my tired muscles, and stifled a yawn, "I do like the pictures this time. Anyways, I'll be in my room if you need anything,"

"Are you going to practice again?" Rina inquired with a frown, totally missing a strained smile and a twitch on Yukimura's face. "The whole reason why I signed you up for this is so that you have time to rest, and by you working hard nonstop totally defeats the purpose," she lectured with a sigh.

"You know how busy I am these days," I reminded gently with a soft, tired smile, and continued, "It can't be helped. Let me know if you have anything planned with me, I have about four hours of free time,"

"What are you two talking about? I want in on the secret," Kirihara interrupted with a scowl, and his arms crossed. I merely glanced towards his direction, almost chuckling at the fact that he does not like being left out.

"Ah, nothing important. Don't worry about it," Rina responded to which I just nodded in agreement. It looked like Kirihara was about to utter various words of protest, but my cell phone had beaten him to the punch.

I nearly let out an exasperated sigh when I saw the caller, but nevertheless answered as I walked a couple of feet away from the dining room, "Good morning, Sakura-san. Eh? What do you mean it's postponed? We're running a little behind on schedule as it is. Oh, I see. Send my regards to Yusuke-san for me? Alright thanks. Let me know when we'll record again. Okay, bye,"

"Looks like I'm free for the rest of the day today," I stated with a smirk, and almost laughed when my sister squealed in excitement. I raised an eyebrow at her beaming expression, and asked wearily when I saw her eyes twinkling, "What are you planning?"

"An impromptu photo shoot," she said with her hands clasped together, and explained, "I think everyone should participate. Aniki, since you're awesome at it, you can judge to see who wins. What should we give to the winner?"

"Che, why should we do this?" Echizen grumbled as he stared at my sister with a scowl.

"Yes, why indeed," Fuji added his two cents.

"Aren't we here to play tennis?" Marui inquired as he leaned against the chair, and balanced a spoon over his upper lip.

"That's because you all have 'tennis' in your mind. You should try something fresh," Rina responded exasperatedly and added, "If you don't, I'll chug down Inui's special juice or Renji's special power juice down your throat while you're sleeping," At her threat, all the Seigaku and Rikkai Dai members paled considerably, whilst the Hyoutei regulars just furrowed their eyebrows in puzzle. I was one of those people.

"So what does the winner get?" Niou asked with a smirk as he swirled around his orange juice.

"A chance to appear in a two-page spread of _Junon_ magazine with an idol," I responded with the same devious smirk as Niou. "Basically a one-way ticket to be famous; after all, it is a magazine for popular young actors, and male singers,"

"Wait, don't you need a connection of some sort for this kind of thing?" Marui inquired with furrowed eyebrow as he plopped a bubblegum into his mouth. "How did you get them to agree with your offer?"

I let out a chuckle in amusement, and gazed at them with seriousness, "This is me you're talking about. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you have until the end of photo shoot to figure it out. Of course, I won't tell you if you cannot figure this puzzle out. Meet me in the garden in an hour, and make sure to bring at least four other change of clothes,"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Momoshiro blurted out, but I merely gave them a mysterious smile. I walked away from the room with a cell phone in my hand, and began calling various staff members to bring in the equipments for the event.

* * *

And so, here I was… in the garden with various lightings, backdrops, and camera equipments. With the help of my photo shoot staffs, I had set up all the equipments and the chairs for all the regulars. It was not an easy task to have everything ready in an hour, but we managed to pull it off.

Even though it was an impromptu photo shoot as Rina-chan had suggested, I had told the staff members to shoot my pictures for my photo book. The idea has been presented to me since last month, but I kept putting it off. Now seem as good time as any. I let out a sigh as I stood next a high chair that was for the director.

"Jirou-san, shall we start with your set while we wait for your friends?" the director suggested, taking the role of the producer-san who had another job today.

"Ah, sorry director-san, but I don't want them know about my occupation just yet," I responded with a nervous chuckle, and added, "Besides, I want to see how high the standard they'll set for this competition by themselves,"

"I see, I see," the director answered with a nod. Just as we had finished our small talk, the regulars walked in with four sets of different attires in their hands. Various loud chatters blanketed over the once silence garden, and I waited until all of them were in the garden before I grabbed a mega-horn from director-san.

"Alright, since all of you are here, find your name on the racks on my left, and place your outfits there," I instructed calmly, and added, "Because this is an impromptu shoot, each of you will be given a chance to take 15 photos, so you will have to judge for yourself how many you want to take with each outfit. Because we have a large group, each set will have to be fast, and that means, you will have to change fast. This will be done one-by-one, so those who are waiting will have a chance to learn from previous 'models'. Since it will be unfair to randomly choose someone to be first, we'll draw a lottery,"

"Aniki, will you doing it too?" Rina questioned with mischievous twinkles in her eyes, and added, "I've been wanting to see it myself firsthand,"

"Most likely," I nodded in response as I ran my hand through my hair, and stated, "I'll be modeling as well. It'll be very fast; anyways, choose one," I held out a can full of Popsicle sticks, and waited until everyone drew one.

"Each stick has a number on it," I explained calmly whilst leaning against the table behind me, and continued, "The person who has number 1 will be going first, and we will be going in order from there. Remember, everyone only gets 15 frames, which is not a lot so make sure every frame counts. If you messed up, tough luck, because there will be no retakes. If you would like to change your outfits in between, let us know. As for the rest, have a seat, and wait for your turn; or go about your business, but be sure to come back in time for your shoot. Now who is first?"

"Uh… I am," Momoshiro stated awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck, and added, "I'm not sure what to do. You sound like you know what you're doing… can you show us what we're supposed to do, Jirou-senpai?"

"Director-san?" I inquired with an eyebrow, trying to see if he would agree to the request. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that my sister looked excited at the turn of the events.

"5 frames; and the theme is cool, and sexy," he responded with a nod, and then glanced over to the camera crew, who gave him various forms of thumbs-up.

"Eh? 5 frames only? Isn't that too little?" Rina inquired with furrowed eyebrows, but I merely smirked in response.

"It's more than enough for an example," I shrugged casually as I walked over to the set whilst I grabbed a red rose from a vase on the way.

"Kyaa, this is exciting," I heard my sister squealed. I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, trying to control my nervousness, and exhaled before I reopened my eyes.

"Why is that?" Fuji questioned pleasantly as I watched the camera crew and lighting crew adjusted their equipments.

"Just watch, and you'll see," that was Rina said.

"Alright, Jirou-san, we're ready," the director stated, just as I let out a devious smirk.

First frame: I held the rose in my left hand as if I was giving it to someone, and gave a small bow as I was doing so. I looked up at the camera with a princely smile while my right hand hovers over my chest. This, without a doubt, screamed playboy.

Second frame: I held the rose in my mouth, teeth delicately biting on the stem, and my hands sliding into my white silk shirt.

Third frame: I tilted my body a bit to the right, and held the rose in my hands. I glanced upward to the sky with a wistful yet soft smile, but still made sure to look at the camera.

Fourth frame: I leaned against the wall with my back slightly arched, but made sure to look natural doing it. I tilted my head slightly so that I was facing the camera, and let out a small sad smile.

Final frame: I returned to my regular standing position, holding a rose with my left hand whilst my right hand plucked out the pedals. The giant wind machine casually blew towards me, playing with the pedals as if to make it look natural. I looked at the camera with a tear cascade down my face.

"That's a wrap people!" the director shouted jubilantly as I handed the remains of the rose to a staff member, brushed away the tear whilst I walked back to the regulars, and my sister. "Perfect as usual, Jirou-san. You wouldn't mind if we make use of these, do you?"

"By all means, but I'd be grateful if you would send me a copy of them," I replied with a business-like smile. I then shifted my attention towards the regulars, and noticed that some of them were looking at me with gaping expressions as if they were fishes on land.

"There's no way we could do it to that standard," Momoshiro blurted out, but I merely chuckled in response.

"You look so natural doing it," Kirihara openly gaped with his eyes almost popping out its sockets, and looked at me with accusing eyes, "Are you trying to intimidate us?"

"Maa… just do your best, and you'll be fine," that was all I advised before I walked over the buffet table to grab some snacks. I passed by Atobe-kun on the way, and quietly whispered, "Show me your best work, _Kei-chan_," I nearly laughed when Atobe-kun stiffened and looked uncomfortable when I brushed my hand over his stomach.

* * *

I could not help but be anxious to see what Atobe-kun is going to show us. I suppose it is natural for him to do something like this, since he likes spotlight and such. I sat in another high chair next to the director, and plopped my elbow on the arm of the chair whilst I rested my chin on my hand.

I let out a yawn as I watched Fuji-kun model. It was not because the whole process bored me, oh no. It was merely because I did not get enough sleep last night. I took a long sip of my water through a straw, and watched as Fuji finished his last frame. I have to give him credit for being able to pull off rather beautiful pictures, and made it look as if he has been modeling his whole life.

"Alright, next!" the director-san shouted as soon as he finished with Fuji-kun. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Atobe-kun _strutting_ towards the set in his slightly unbuttoned bluish gray colored shirt, black leather pants, and white blazer glory. Did I mention black leather pants?

I was awed as I watched Atobe-kun modeled in front of the cameras as if it was a second-nature for him, and silently wondered if he had done modeling before. If I did not know him, I would have fatally doubt that he is a tennis player, and I would have seriously insisted that he is a model. I was captivated by his performance, did not realized that I was staring at him throughout his until photo shoot until someone nudged me.

I blinked in surprised, and let out a weak smile when Atobe-kun smirked at me. I jumped off the high chair while I tried to focus on anything but his smirking expression, and grabbed a mega-horn from director-san. "Alright, it's close to noon, but luckily, we finished the shoot. Let's take a lunch break for now until 1:00 PM. I will announce the winner after lunch, so be sure to return back here at 1:00 PM," I announced and then glanced to my sister before speaking without the mega-horn, "Rina-chan, can you go order lunch for the staff-san?"

"Yeah, sure," she nodded in agreement, and caught my wallet in midair. "What would you like? The usual?"

"Ah, yes please. Thank you Jirou-san, Rina-san," the director said with gratitude, before he shifted his attention towards me, "Why don't we look through the photos while we wait?"

"Sure," I nodded in agreement, and followed the staff towards the computer connected to the camera equipments.

* * *

I sat in my room, looking through various photos of the regulars, trying to decide the winner. I had no idea who the winner should be, considering most of their photos were well-taken. I could not help but keep looking at Atobe-kun's photo, not because I was being biased, but because that his photo just seemed to pop out of the bunch.

I let out a sigh, and plopped down on my bed, wondering who I should choose as a winner without being biased. Just when I was about to roll over, I heard knockings on my door; I called out for that person to come in. I nearly fell off the bed when I saw Atobe-kun walked in with my lunch.

"W-w-what are you doing here?" I asked nervously, sitting up quickly to the point that I was dizzy for seconds.

"Ore-sama brought you your lunch," he responded in his usual arrogant tone, and handed me the take-out bento.

"Thanks," I nodded in reply, and noticed him glancing at various photos. "I haven't chosen the winner yet," I explained as I gestured him to take a seat whilst I dug into my meal.

"I see," Atobe-kun answered as he stiffly sat down at the end of the bed. "I've been wondering," he started, dropping off his usual 'Ore-sama', "why are you are trying to tempt me with your flirtations?"

I nearly choked on my onigiri, and pounded my chest to clear the airway before I was gasping for breath. "That's because you're being all awkward, and ignoring me," I responded with a frown.

"Ore-sama have not," Atobe-kun denied with a dignified scoff, and crossed his arms and legs, "But Ore-sama will have to punish you for all your bad deeds,"

"What?" I gaped in surprised, and stared at him in befuddled expression.

"You don't think I'll let you get away with teasing me, do you?" he stated with a smirk that sent shivers down my spine.

"Um, yes?" I responded nervously with a sweat drop, and almost wanted to hide under the bed when his smirk grew bigger. I slowly put down my bento, and rushed towards the door to escape from this situation. I twisted the doorknob, and blinked in confusion; I twisted the doorknob yet again, but it would not budge.

"It's locked, and only Ore-sama has the key," Atobe-kun chuckled as he waved the said object around, and pocketed it in his pocket. "You'll only be let out after you're thoroughly punished," he stated whilst he approached towards me as I was a prey.

Before I knew it, I was trapped between Atobe-kun, and the wall. I let out a loud gulp, which I was sure Atobe-kun heard, and closed my eyes as I involuntarily shrunk back.

"You know, Ore-sama does not like the fact you are flirting with the camera," he whispered next to my left ear, and put his hands next to my head, thus trapping me all over again.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, _Kei-chan_," I replied, opening my eyes, and nearly screamed in surprise at how close we were. I could see my own reflection in his eyes, not that I was staring. Really, I wasn't.

"Jealous? _Moi?_ I don't think so," Atobe-kun responded softly with a smirk. I could not help but continued to stare him, as if I was falling under his spell.


	10. Chapter 10

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

I apologize for the late update, since school work is always unpredictable. I was debating if I should put smut in this chapter, but I decided not to since I couldn't bring myself to write the scenes. (sigh) So for the readers who were expecting some sort of intimate scenes, I am sorry to disappoint you.

* * *

I braced myself for what is about to happen, and waited in anticipation for what he is going to do. I could not help but think how devilishly captivating his mischievous look is… a look that rarely appeared on his expression. I looked at him in slight confusion when he lets out a bigger smirk, but instead, I saw myself in his eyes.

"Ne, Jirou," he started in the same soft tone, almost making me melt from the sheer power of his tone. Before he could finish his statement, I heard rapid rapping from my door, and my sister demanding that I go meet with director-san for the final results.

I gave an apologetic look to Atobe-kun, and wanted to make-up with him when I saw a brief flash of crestfallen expression on his face. "Gomen ne, Kei-chan," I muttered as I gave him a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth whilst I grabbed the key from his pocket.

"You are choosing me as the winner right?" he inquired softly as he prolonged the kiss, and trapped me within his embrace. If it were not for the fact that Atobe-kun was holding and supporting me, I would have melted into a puddle of goo.

"Are you trying to seduce me into picking you?" I chuckled teasingly before I tore myself away from him. I knew that if I remained there, I would have lost the time, and the director-san would be disappointed that I was more than fashionably late.

"You'll just have to wait for my decision just like everyone else," I responded before Atobe-kun had a chance to explain, and stated, "I'll be going first," With that, I grabbed all the scattered photos, and a piece of onigiri, and left Atobe-kun in his befuddled haze.

* * *

"Sorry for the wait, everyone," I started as soon as I walked into the room, and gave a nod of greeting the staff. I headed towards the director, and handed him the photo of the winner of this impromptu photo shoot.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Atobe-kun approaching towards the group, and I finished discussing the last details with the director-san. "Alright, since everyone is here, I'll get right to the point," I stated through the mega-horn, instantly getting everyone's attention.

"From out of twenty participants, I have chosen three winners; each from a different school. I had said before that there would only be _one_ winner, but because it was hard for me to choose just _one_ when there were many great photos, I've decided that it would only be fair to choose one winner from each school. Hence, there are three winners," I explained with a sheepish grin, and continued seriously, "The next photo shoot will be done at a studio, and I will give you all the information necessary before next week. Now, the winners of this competition are: Tezuka-kun, Niou-kun, and Atobe-kun. There are specific images I would like to take with you, which will be stated in the information packet you'll receive in a couple of days,"

"Heh, it's a given that Atobe would be chosen," Shishido snorted amusedly with his arms crossed, and added, "After all, Jirou was literally ogling at him,"

I let out an embarrassed cough, and sent a mock glare towards the dash specialist, "A-anyways, that is all for this impromptu photo shoot," I turned around to walk towards director-san, who was trying to finish putting away his equipments with the rest of the staff-san.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day, aniki?" Rina questioned with her head tilted to her right, and with a cute pout on her expression. I could not help but chuckle at the image, and had to resist the urge to grab the camera from one of the staff-san to take the picture.

"The same thing that I usually do on my day offs," I responded with a shrug as I put my hands in the back pockets, and let out a mysterious smile when I noticed the confusions on my former rivals' faces. "I have a busy schedule coming up, so I want to perfect my routine before the real one starts. Maybe I can introduce another new piece then…"

"You wrote another piece?" my sister asked in shock with her eyes widened, and then a flash of excited expression overtook her surprise. "I want to hear it~! Is it the song we briefly heard yesterday?" she prodded with a thoughtful look.

"Ah no," I replied slowly when I realized the other regulars looked interested at the turn of the conversation. Even though the Hyoutei regulars and Niou knew of my idol identity, I realized that they could not help but be curious. The remaining Rikkai Dai regulars and the Seigaku regulars were inwardly curious, that much I knew… even if some of them did not express the curiosity.

"If you want to know that much then… you'll just have to come to the culture festival," I answered with a smirk, and added, "I'll be performing that song then. And no, Rina-chan, I won't give you a preview now,"

"At least tell me the title?" Rina inquired hopefully, which I could not help but let out a smile in response.

"_Loveless_," I stated with a smirk, and added, "I think you know how that one goes,"

"That's quite depressing," my sister sighed dejectedly, and added, "But it's also quite addicting,"

"What are you talking about, nya?" Kikumaru interrupted, which Oishi immediately chided for interjecting on personal conversation. "But I wanted to know what they're talking about, Oishi~" the acrobat whined.

"Saa… I think I get it now," Fuji chuckled amusedly, but thankfully, he did not elaborate further on his findings.

"What do you get, Fuji-senpai?" Momoshiro inquired, but the tensai merely chuckled, and smiled instead of answering.

* * *

It was some days after the training camp, and as usual, I was swamped with work. My usual schedule consisted of: waking up before the sunrise, eating breakfast, heading to the set location for my concert rehearsal, having lunch with various staff members, recording an episode of the anime I was in, having dinner by myself, and finally, meeting up with Nakamura-san for my vocal lessons.

The promotion of my singles '_Refrain_' had swamped all over Japan, considering the fact that I see posters of myself in various billboards, stores, and on trains. I had made several appearances in various variety shows, which I had to somehow make room in my busy workload.

Due to my busy schedule, I was absent from school, and I had told Sakura-san to let the headmaster know that I would not be returning to Hyoutei until my concert tour comes to an end. However, this did not mean that I would not be performing at the cultural festival as intended. I am actually looking forward to that event… Luckily, my concert tour, and the cultural festival did not coincide with each other; otherwise, I would have to give up the latter. After all, I could not just do a last minute change to my concert dates.

I let out a tired sigh as I lied down on the sofa in my dressing room, trying my hardest not to fall asleep before my rehearsal. There were only a couple of days left before the real concert tour begins… starting with my grand opening in Tokyo Dome, a place where I dreamt of performing a year ago, but now… it is almost a reality for me.

"Jirou-san, we're ready to begin now," Sakura-san called out, and I immediately bolt up with a cheerful smile, despite my fatigue. "Are you alright? Maybe I should tell them to start the rehearsal in a couple of hours, that way you'll have some time to nap. You've been overworking too much lately," she questioned worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, Sakura-san," I responded with a smile, and added as I passed by her, "But I thank you for your concern,"

* * *

"THANK YOU SENDAI!" I shouted through my microphone, trying to extend my voice through all corners of the concert hall. The cheers and shouts of the fans were overwhelming, and nearly made me deaf. I waved to all the fans that came to see me, and headed backstage.

"Wow, five encores again," Kaji commented in awe as he handed me a cup of warm tea. I immediately drowned the content, and leaned back against the wall, trying to shake away the fatigue.

"Yeah, it's a good thing that Sendai is the last place," I stated wearily as I stretched my tired muscles. The loud cheers, and chatters from the fans were still ringing in my ears, giving me a pounding headache as a result.

I blinked tiredly, silently wondering why I was seeing doubles of my brother, and why he looked alarmed. The answer never came; instead I heard a cup shattering to the group, and a feeling of warmness holding me. I faintly heard my older brother shouting my name worriedly, something I have not heard in ages; but no matter how much I wanted to tell him that I am okay, I could not open my eyes. Instead, I just opted to welcome the darkness with open arms.

* * *

I blinked my eyes a couple of times, trying to adjust to the bright lightings, and vaguely wondered where I was. I looked around the room, and noticed my brother sleeping uncomfortably in a chair. I looked around yet again before I realized that I was in my own room. I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to figure out what had happened.

"You worked yourself to exhaustion," I heard Kaji-nii explained, and I nearly jumped in surprise at the suddenness. I did not know when he woke up, but I did not ask either. "You've been asleep for three days. The cultural festival is tomorrow, if you're wondering,"

"Oh I see…" I trailed off as I sat up, and looked at my blanket as if it was the most interesting thing in world. "Sorry for causing you trouble," I mumbled, twiddling my thumbs, and idly wondered where my stuffed rabbit that I had next to my bed. It did not just walk off on its own, did it?

"Don't worry, no one saw anything," Kaji-nii stated with a wave his hand as if to dismiss the matter altogether. "Well, either way, let's get some food in you,"

"Thank you," I stated appreciatively with a smile before I got off my bed, but not before I stumbled a bit.

"Careful there, kiddo," my brother chuckled as he steadied my balance, and lead me to the kitchen where I noticed Sakura-san had just finished making lunch.

"Good afternoon, Sakura-san," I called out as I sat down in one of the chairs, and stared at my other manager in awe at how quickly she could turn around.

"Jirou-san! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Sakura immediately asked as she put down the Dutch oven back on the stove, and walked over to me. "I'm so sorry; it's completely my fault for not doing something sooner, but instead I just left the matter alone, and you ended up collapsing in exhausting. I fail as your manager; I should just turn in my resignation--"

"Sakura-san, it's not your fault," I interrupted with a sweat drop when I heard her rambling on, and added, "If anything, it's my fault for not saying something,"

"It'll be both of your faults if this soup got cold," Kaji-nii interrupted jovially before our exchange escalated for another hour or two. "You should check your phone, Jirou, after you finished eating. You've been getting a lot of calls while you were out. I didn't bother answering it since it was such a hassle, and I'm sure you got some calls during the tour,"

"Oh, that's right," I nodded in realization when I remembered my useful electronic lifeline, and added in a murmur, "I turned it off so I couldn't be disturbed during the tour,"

"I charged it for you, so it's on your desk," my brother stated with a nod, and dismissed my appreciative remark.

* * *

As soon as I finished eating, I walked back to my room, and noticed that my stuffed rabbit was on the floor. With a small smile, I picked it up and placed it back on my bed before I went to grab my cell phone on the table. The rabbit was a gift from Atobe-kun before we 'broke' up, and I would have thrown it away, but I just could not bring myself to do so.

I turned on my cell phone, and blinked in surprised at the number it displayed. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I was not seeing things, but the number remained the same. '157 missed calls,' I noted in surprised, and amused. I pressed some buttons, and realized that half of those missed calls were from Atobe-kun, and the remains were divided amongst my sister, my parents, various staff-san, and from my former tennis teammates.

I debated whether I should return those missed calls, but decided not to since I would be seeing Atobe-kun and the regulars tomorrow. Instead, I messaged my family, and the staff-san to tell them that I was okay. Once the deed was done, I lied back down on my bed whilst I hugged the stuffed rabbit, and opted to sleep away the rest of the day.

The past few days had just been a blur to me, considering I was mostly performing on stage across Japan. I was lucky that I did not loose my voice in the process since the concert tour lasted seven days, and each day being in a different city.

"Tomorrow is the cultural festival," I sighed as I rolled over, and glanced out the window while I continued to remain on bed. Somehow, I could not sleep away for the remainder of the day; mostly due to the fact that I had been sleeping for the past three days. I rolled over to my manga collection shelves, and grabbed a stack of manga books that I was given to read so that I would know my character.

"Maybe we should have a host club at school," I mumbled with an amused snort as I flipped to the first chapter of the first volume. I got comfortable in seat, and placed my stuffed rabbit next to the shelf before I indulged myself in the wonderful world of _Ouran High School Host Club_.

* * *

I did not even realize that I was asleep until I woke up. I let out an uncharacteristic groan, and noticed that I had fallen asleep whilst I was reading the manga. I glanced at the clock, and noted that it was nearing seven o'clock. I sat on my bed, trying to digest the information, and slowly yet haggardly made my way to the bathroom.

I let out a wide yawn as soon as I exited the bathroom in nothing but a towel, and stared at my closet for a good five minute. Once I finally made my decision, I was dressed in black slacks, pleated gray and white shirt, black blazer, and black boots. It was simple yet elegant, or so my sister would say.

I walked back into my bathroom, and blow dried my wet hair before I straightened it. I let out a yawn once again, idly wondering if I had slept too much to make me this tired. When I finished with the process, I brushed my hair a couple of times, and then I applied some light make-up. I paused in midway to silently debating if I should go with a 'Visual Kei' look, but decided not to since I did not want to scare away anyone just yet.

I grabbed my wallet, cell phone, and my keys before I left the apartment. Kaji-nii had to attend morning classes, so he left early, and Sakura-san had left early last night, if I remember the conversation correctly. But, I vaguely remember the conversation I had with my brother this morning.

I stopped by at the usual café, and ordered a cup of hot chocolate with a croissant. On the radio, I heard one of my songs playing, and I promptly ignored it altogether. It was rather tiring to see and hear myself everywhere, but I supposed this is what it is like to be popular. I gave a polite smile to the waitress as I handed the money, and grabbed my orders before I left the establishment.

As I ate and walked towards the school, I could not help but enjoy the warm feeling of the hot chocolate seeping down my throat. In this rather cold day, it was definitely a good idea to enjoy a warm drink. However, talking about a cold day, I had not even decided the songs I would be performing. It was an inevitable doom to know that everyone would know my idol identity since I would be singing my own songs.

I could sing these songs rather poorly, but I decided not to because that would mean that I was tainting the songs' images. Which is why I decided to sing as I normally do, even if it meant revealing my secret to everyone… after all, the person that I chose to hide this secret from already knows.

Even if this is an impromptu concert, everything would be revealed here… to everyone, and to all my fans.

* * *

"Ah, Jirou-senpai, good morning… thank goodness you're okay," Ootori greeted politely with a bow, and added, "Your classmates were frantically searching for you, saying how you're late, and how decided to ditch them or something. Ah, sorry for my bluntness,"

"Ootori-kun, good morning," I responded with a smile, and added, "Well, the festival is starting in a couple of minutes, and the guests would be entering in a couple of minutes. I suppose I should head to the stage now,"

"Do your best, Jirou-senpai," my kouhai called out as I walked away. I finished my drink, and threw away the empty cup in a trash bin nearby. As soon as I approached to a rather lavished stage, my homeroom teacher approached to me frantically.

"Akutagawa! There you are!" my homeroom teacher said in a relieved tone. "We're starting in a couple of minutes. Have you practiced the songs? Are you ready for the performance? Should we delay it for an hour or two so you'll have more time to practice?"

"Don't worry about it, sensei," I interrupted with a sweat drop, inwardly making a note how similar he is to Sakura-san. "I think everyone will be genuinely surprised by this performance," I stated with a smile, and grabbed the microphone from his hand.

I waited backstage until my name was announced, and idly listened to one of my classmates welcoming the guests. I peered through the curtains to see many students from various schools from Kanto region walking through the campus. I let out a nervous sigh, and walked towards the deejay to discuss which songs to play. After a brief exchange of words and giving him a specific instruction, I handed him my MD player.

"Alright, please welcome Akutagawa Jirou, who will be singing for the festival," my classmate announced. I took that as my cue to walk out to the 'spotlight', and gave a polite nod towards my classmate, and the audience, who were politely applauding.

A slow instrumental music began playing softly in the background, and I let out a smirk as I readied myself to start the song. I quickly scanned the crowd before I noticed the regulars from various schools. Some were seated in the front, but most of them were in the middle.

_"You are my previous baby, so precious  
I can't stop thinking of you, only you  
Because you are right in the middle of my heart. Every day, every time, forever,"_

I held the last note for a couple of seconds, and pulled my microphone away as the instrumental music began playing yet again. I let out an even bigger smirk when most of the audience was gaping at me in surprised. I stopped my musing when I noted that the instrumental verse was nearing to its end, and I was to start the next verse in matter of seconds.

_"If it's a life with you, even a thousand years isn't enough  
Many dreams have been made into various plans  
I want you to somehow always be happy, and laughing  
I hope that no matter how sad of a thing, it doesn't happen,_

_In the unknown future, anxiety is something follows you around  
If you can believe in one another, it won't be scary._

_Forever…  
You are my previous baby, so precious  
I can't stop thinking of you, only you  
Because you are right in the middle of my heart. Every day, every time, forever.  
You are my precious baby, because you're the first I've vowed to without any hesitation  
Always, I will love you forever,"_

I paused for a second as I regained my breath silently before I started singing the next verse. I walked over to the edge of the stage while I continued with the song.

_"If it's a life with you, even in failure I can laugh.  
Like the spinning of memories that years pile up  
Because a future without you has no meaning at all  
I hope that kind of sad thing doesn't happen._

_In the pessimistic world though, there are occasions when you get hurt  
If we support each other, we can overcome anything._

_Forever,  
You are my precious baby, so precious  
I can't stop thinking of you, only you  
Because you are right in the middle of my heart. Every day, every time, forever  
You're my precious baby, because you're the first I've vowed to without any hesitation  
Always, I will love you forever," _

I paused for a couple of seconds as I listened to the instrumental music before I started the rap section of the song.

_"I can't believe I'm in love  
But I know it from the time I saw you, that night, that sight  
Kiss and snug, never fade away  
This is the time, last vibes of my life  
Let's live it 'forever',"_

I let out a grin when I noticed some of the regulars looked as if their eyes were ready to pop out of its sockets from sheer surprise and shock. Even though ballads happen to be my forte, I could also sing other genres, thank you very much.

_"Forever,  
You are my precious baby, so precious  
I can't stop thinking of you, only you  
Because you're right in the middle of my heart. Every day, every time, forever  
You are my precious baby, because you're the first I've vowed to without any hesitation  
Always, I will love you forever  
You are my precious baby, I seriously feel that you're very precious  
Always, I will love you forever," _


	11. Chapter 11

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to update this, in the end... I just couldn't wait.

* * *

No one said anything for a while, and I nearly thought that I had chosen a wrong song to open with, until everyone roared in loud applause. I glanced over to my classmates who had nominated me, and I could not help but let out a big smirk at their shocked expressions. I looked back towards my audience, and gave a small wave towards the regulars.

"Alright everyone, let's go to the next song," I stated, and immediately cleared my throat when my voice cracked a bit.

"Wait a second!" one of my female classmates screeched as she stalked over to the center of the stage. "How…when…" she stuttered when she realized that everyone was looking at her.

"How can I sing that well? When did I have time to practice?" I mused with a smirk as I waved my microphone in a circular manner. "I thought you would see the connection between the idol JIROU and me. After all, we practically look the same… maybe except for the hair and the eyes. But that can easily be changed, ne?"

"Do you even know what nonsense you're sprouting?" another classmate inquired as she walked over to the stage with a microphone in hand.

"Whether you want to believe me or not is your choice," I stated quietly when I noticed the headmaster approached to the stage with an amused expression on his face. I watched in silence as he walked towards me, silently wondering what he would be saying. I could not help but think how random this was.

"Akutagawa-kun, congratulation on your concert tour success," the headmaster said in a jolly tone with an equally smiling face. He ignored the gaping expressions from almost everyone, and brushed his mustache with one hand, "My niece couldn't stop talking about the concert. By any chance, would there be a concert tour DVD?" he chuckled, but suddenly stopped as if he just became aware of his surroundings.

However, I secretly think that he planned this; but nevertheless, I could not stop a smile from appearing on my face. "Ah, yes. It'll be released in a couple of months. I'll personally come deliver it to you myself," I responded with a sweat drop, silently wondering why I was doing a promotion on a thing that is yet to be released.

"Am I interrupting something?" the headmaster inquired as he looked around the area, and finally turned to face me, "Don't overwork yourself, Akutagawa-kun; after all, you had a long week,"

"Thank you for the concern, but I'll be fine," I responded with a polite smile, and shouted to my microphone in an excited tone, "Are you ready for the next song!?"

The loud excited cheers from the audience somehow made me feel refreshed, and I watched the headmaster walked off the stage, and then took a seat in a front row. I glanced over to the two classmates who remained rooted on the spot, and merely raised an eyebrow, "Are you planning to be my backup dancers? I don't mind if you are, but I won't tolerate a poor performance," I remarked bluntly, and nearly let out a chuckle when a few people from the audience laughed at my statement.

"Why you--!" one of the two female classmates seethed with gritted teeth. "Just because you're a little bit famous doesn't give you a reason to be all arrogant," she muttered darkly under breath. However, due to the microphone clipped to her shirt, everyone heard her remark.

"Arrogant? Me? Are you sure you're talking to the right person?" I retorted with an eyebrow raised, and continued before she got a chance to rebut, "Atobe-kun is more arrogant than I am; no offence, Atobe-kun, but you are. Besides, this is Hyoutei; don't think I survived my years at this school by being a nice person,"

"We won't accept the fact you're an idol! It has to be fluke!" one of the two classmates shouted as she pointed her finger at me angrily.

I merely closed my eyes for a moment, and reopened them as I looked at them with a smile on my face. I took on a host persona that I usually used for my voice acting role, just so I could be 'in-character'. From the corner of my eyes, I saw how everyone was looking at me in anticipation, and was waiting with berated breath for what I would say.

"You, my princess, are, without a doubt, a beautiful person," I started in a slightly deep tone as I approached towards the two. I knew I sound exactly the same as the character I voiced as, but I could not help the fact that it was nice to be 'King'. Once I had said that, some of the audience members looked at me with their jaws promptly resting on the ground, and looked at me as if I was insane.

"However," I continued in the same tone as I brushed her bangs away from her eyes, "you're not fit to be in my presence. I won't accept being mistreated, and simply be idolized for my status, and my looks. I am the same person with or without make-up, and if you cannot accept that… you are a sad person,"

I paused for a couple of seconds as I watched the two walked off the stage angrily whilst they grumbled under their breath. "Sorry for being all host-like. Alright, since the distractions are gone; let's head to the next song. This is called '_Loveless'_, a song that I had written two years ago, and it is a song that made me become an idol. Enjoy,"

I closed my eyes as I listened to the instrumental music, and tapped my fingers on my thighs as I waited. I brought my microphone to my mouth as I began to dance, and sing at the same time.

"_Somehow I already know why you're looking down  
You're here but you can't seem to start talking about breaking-up_

_Even though our fallen shadows on the pavement  
Are gathering together and piling up  
Right now, our feelings are drifting farther apart_

_For you, who has met another love,  
Can't find any connecting words,"_

I paused for a second to regain my breath, and immediately continued with the next verse. I let out a smile when I saw how captivated most of my audience was.

_"Things like 'goodbye' or 'it's the end'  
Even if you say it's a lie, our un-joined hands become cold  
We'll become strangers  
Because I'll end up embracing things like 'I'm sorry' or 'please don't cry anymore'  
So before my piled up memories turn into sorrow  
At the end I'll say goodbye with a smile..."_

A single tear cascade down my cheek, but I gracefully brushed it away as I sang the last line of the previous verse, and pointed my finger towards the audience.

_"I said I'll be fine alone, that was my first lie  
I wanted a way of stopping your tears_

_You were really important  
Truthfully, I didn't want to let go  
But these emotions with nowhere to go fill up my heart_

_Because I'm praying for that happiness more than anyone  
Even if I act tough, I want to tell you 'thank you'_

_'Goodbye' and 'Regret'  
That was the proof of our encounter, because it was with you I can think like that  
An irreplaceable existence  
So that I can forget it, I'll put it away in my heart,  
Along with the seasons we engraved together  
To your back that's heading quickly towards a new future  
That's right, at the end I'll say goodbye with a smile..." _

I held the last note before I pulled away the microphone, and danced for a bit. Once the short instrumental interval was finished, I continued with the next verse.

_"Things like 'goodbye' or 'it's the end'  
Even if you say it's a lie, our un-joined hands become cold  
We'll become strangers  
Because I'll end up embracing things like 'I'm sorry' or 'please don't cry anymore'  
So before my piled up memories turn into sorrow  
At the end I'll say goodbye with a smile..."_

I held the last note and waited for the instrumental music to finish before I gave a bow to signal that the song is finished. I nearly stumbled off the stage when I heard the loud applause, and some of the female students were shouting their undying love. Really, the latter part was completely unnecessary.

"Thank you," I said with a nod as the cheers finally died down, and I continued, "Once again, thank you for taking time to come to Hyoutei Gakuen's Annual Cultural Festival. Please enjoy your time here, and please remember that I do not give out autographs,"

* * *

I walked off the stage behind the curtains, and nearly tripped back when I noticed some of the Hyoutei regulars were waiting for me. In the midst of the crowd, Rina pushed through the tennis players, and handed me a cold bottle of water.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I opened the item, and drained its content. "So what's up?" I asked with a small grin.

"I don't know if you noticed, but most of your songs happened to be about Atobe," Oshitari commented with a smirk, and I immediately turned sideways to spray the water onto the grass.

"They are so not about Atobe-kun, specifically," I responded in a murmur, and wrinkled my nose before I continued, "The songs could be about anyone in a relationship. Don't you have to be at a haunted house scaring the girls?"

"Trying to get rid of us, are you?" the tensai chuckled in amusement, and added, "Maa… I'll leave you and Atobe alone for now,"

"Just don't do anything we wouldn't do," Mukahi called out in a crackle, and walked away with Rina as he continued to laugh insanely.

"I bet they actually do everything," I muttered with a scoff, and continued finishing my drink.

"I'm touched that you wrote songs about me," Atobe stated with an arrogant smirk. I gave him a sideway glance before I made a move to toss the empty bottle. "I knew you couldn't resist Ore-sama's charm," he chuckled as I just stared at him in befuddled haze.

"Don't be so full of yourself, _dear_," I retorted with a huff, but I could not resist a smile from forming nevertheless. "Who said the songs were actually about you? It could be about anyone,"

"You're just in denial that you've fallen for me all over again," he teased with a playful smirk. Instead of giving him a proper response, I continued to stare at him while I inwardly melted into a puddle of goo. He has got to stop giving me a _heart problem_ with his charming _attitude_.

"S-shut up," I stammered and turned away from his gaze to hide my red face. Behind me, Atobe chuckled in amusement, and patted me on the head as if I was a kid.

"Make room in your busy schedule for me tonight?" he requested softly in my ear, and added, "I think it's about time we have a proper dinner together,"

"Y-y-yeah, n-no problem," I gulped nervously at our close proximity, and turned around to face him. My eyes immediately widen when my lips brushed against his, and the only thing my mind was screaming at this moment was: SCANDAL ALERT! SCANDAL ALERT!

I quickly pulled away from him, and covered my mouth with my hand, "S-sorry," that was all I said before I ran away from the scene.

* * *

I arrived to a random classroom that was acting as a café, and took a seat a 'booth' near the windows. I let out a dejected sigh as I continued to stare out the window, trying to ignoring the not-so-hushed whispers from everyone around me. I did not have to strain my hearing to know that they were talking about me. From the public announcement system, one of my songs was blasting for everyone to hear.

"Here's your order, Akutagawa-san," one of the 'waiters' stated. He placed a slice of cake and a cup of cold milk tea on the table, and gave a bow before he walked away.

I took a sip of my drink calmly, as if trying to look normal like nothing was wrong; but in the end, I could not stop the last encounter with Atobe-kun from replaying in my mind. I let out a soft sigh, and glanced at the whispering crowd, who looked startled when my gaze landed on them. I gave them a soft princely smile, something I had learned from modeling, and returned my attention back to the window whilst I ignored the excited squeals behind me.

I put down the empty cup, and took a bite of the cake before I placed the fork down. Wordlessly, I stood up from my seat, and walked out of the café. It was not because it was a bad cake, but merely for the reason that the 'café' was too noisy.

"Ah, Akutagawa-kun, there you are," a familiar voice called out, and when I turned around, I saw the Seigaku regulars standing there in their casual clothes glory.

"Hello, everyone," I greeted with a business-smile, and gave them a small bow. "Is there something you need?"

"I knew it," Fuji declared triumphantly with a smile, and I looked at him in confused as to what he was saying. "You dropped a lot of hints during the training camp. Besides, it was rather suspicious as to why you kept leaving before dawn, and didn't return until really late at night. I also noticed how you were singing along when '_Refrain_' was playing, and your dare to Atobe-san confirmed my suspicion. Even though you tried to hide it, you sounded the same as the idol,"

"You are rather sharp, Fuji-kun," I chuckled, but I did not denied what he said, and added, "I didn't bother hiding my 'secret' as well as I would've had if I didn't want you guys to know,"

"Why did you want us to know?" Inui questioned as he poised his notebook and his pen so that he was ready to write down anything I say.

"Ah! There you are!" Kirihara's voice interrupted before I could say anything. From the left side, the Rikkai Dai regulars walked towards us in their school uniform glory. "Ne, ne, Akutagawa-kun, would you be releasing those songs anytime soon? It was soooo good," the junior ace gushed.

I could not help but think that it was how I acted around Marui a few years back. "The singles would be out in a couple of weeks," I answered with a strained smile.

"YES!" Kirihara cheered with his hand pumped in the air, whilst some of his teammates hid their face in their hands, as if they were embarrassed to even be associated to Kirihara.

"Is there a reason why you decided to tell everyone?" Niou questioned solemnly, interrupting his kouhai's cheers, and further added, "When I knew about your secret, you didn't want anyone to know about it. But now… you decided to let everyone know,"

"That's because…" I started without looking at the regulars, and just stared ahead. I paused for a few seconds, silently debating how much I should tell them, and finally decided, "That's because I am going to be in a different world from now on. Once I leave here today, Akutagawa Jirou will just be a memory; you won't ever see him again. Please excuse me," I turned around and gave them a final bow before I walked away.

"Are you just going to run away?" Niou called out, making me pause in my mid-step, and causing me to turn around.

"Running away? Never," I responded with a small smile, and elaborated, "I've just decided to face reality,"

* * *

Before I realized it, the cultural festival drew closer to its end, and I was once again on stage. Some of the guests had return to listen to my song live, whilst others were still in his or her booth with the guests, and had opted to listen via the public announcement system. Either way, I did not mind.

"Thank for coming to our cultural festival, I hope everyone had a good time," I started with a polite bow, and continued, "I'll leave you today with this song,"

A soft ballad began playing in the background, and I waited for nearly thirty seconds before I started singing. I inwardly told myself that this _was not_ another song about Atobe-kun; nope, not at all. Really… it was not.

_"Meeting that day was not a coincidence  
I'm sure we always believed that we would meet_

_Reflected in your eyes is everything I love about you_

_Your beautiful eyes are my everything  
The most beautiful in the world  
I like everything about your beautiful eyes  
I'll hold you, and never let you go_

_By just gazing at you, I become gentle  
I'm engrossed in your mysterious eyes_

_So please don't cry, because your tears are too unbearable_

_In your heart, I see you beautiful eyes  
Beautiful to the point I'm unable to stand it  
In my dreams, I can see your beautiful eyes  
Never again will I let you go _

_I'll hold you tightly and take you wherever I go  
If it's the two of us, then we can make it, baby  
No matter what kind of world we face_

_Your beautiful eyes are my everything  
The most beautiful in the world  
I like everything about your beautiful eyes  
I'll hold you, and never let you go_

_In your heart, I see you beautiful eyes  
Beautiful to the point I'm unable to stand it  
In my dreams, I can see your beautiful eyes  
Never again will I let you go_

_I'll hold you, and never let you go" _

When I glanced at the applauding crowd, I saw Oshitari and Mukahi smirking at me all knowingly. The two just laughed at my slightly scowling expression, and nudged at Atobe-kun who was standing nearby. I could not hear what the latter said to Oshitari and Mukahi due to the loud cheers, and applause. However, judging from the slight flushed expression of Atobe-kun, I could only guess that it was something embarrassing.

* * *

"Sorry, I'm late, Atobe-kun," I stated as I approached to the waiting figure, and huffed tiredly because I had just ran a long distance. "Were you waiting long?" I inquired while I tried to catch my breath.

"Don't worry about it, I just got here," he responded with a gentle smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Let's go? I'm sure you're hungry," he suggested as he led us to his awaiting limo.

"Did you have fun at the festival?" I questioned as soon as we were seated in the vehicle, and continued, "I'm sorry I ran away after… you know…"

"Don't mind, it was my fault for being impulsive," he muttered as if he was trying to get used to apologizing.

The two of us sat in an awkward silence for a good five minutes, and then the two of suddenly decided to say something.

"You know--" the two of us started in union, and paused for a couple of seconds before saying, "No, you go ahead,"

"No, that's okay. You started first," Atobe stated with a chuckle, and before I knew it, the two of us were laughing at our awkwardness.

"No, no, no, you first," I insisted with a grin. In the end, we could not stop laughing at how we were acting.

Once we got over the awkward moments, Atobe cleared his throat to get my attention, and when I looked at him with all my attention, he stated, "I was wondering if we can officially start over. I know it'll be hard with you being famous, and all… but I would like to try again,"

I just sat there, and stared at him in shock for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say. "Eh?" that was the most intelligent thing I uttered instead.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Atobe said with a slightly nervous smile, something I had not seen on his expression for the longest time.

"To be honest with you, Kei-chan," I started with a deep sigh as I looked at his reflection from the window, "I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't see each other at all. You're soon to be the head of Atobe Group, and it would ruin your image if you're seen with another guy, right? Isn't that reason why your grandmother drugged you that night, so that we would break up?"

"You knew…?" he looked at me in surprised, which I just chuckled in response.

"I didn't get by Hyoutei just by sleeping," I answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and continued with my speech, "I don't want to give you up, but at the same time… I'm afraid of what everyone would think. I may be confident, and everything in front of the camera, but in the end… I'm scared. I don't want be left alone,"

"Instead of worrying about my image, aren't you worried about yours as well?" Atobe pointed out as he turned me around, so that I was facing him instead. "I've lost you once I'm not losing you again. I'm sure, in the end, everything will work out. After all, this is Ore-sama you're talking about, and if we have to fight against the whole world, we will," he boasted with a cocky smirk.

"You're certainly something," I muttered with an exasperated sigh.

"Besides, it doesn't matter to me if everyone knew about us," he stated solemnly as he placed his hand over mine, and added, "After all, you're the only one for me,"

"You're such a sap," I commented with a dignified snort, and inquired, "Where did you get that line?"

"One of Oshitari's romance novels, and don't ruin the moment," Atobe answered, and I had nothing to respond to that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Note:** Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own the songs inputted in this story either as it belongs to its rightful owner.

* * *

There was nothing but silence, and I just stood there unmoving as I watched the man behind the desk gazing at me in the most criticizing ways. He did not say anything, and I did not say anything. The silence was so loud to the point that my ears were hurting, but I did not move to attempt to ease the pain, and I did not comment on it either. After what it seemed like hours, he finally spoke.

"Jirou-san, I understand that you revealed your identity to your friends?" Miyazawa-san stated solemnly with his hands clasped together, and they slightly covered his mouth. "Have you forgotten the rules we have?"

"No sir," I answered nervously, and inwardly told myself that I should be ready for any sort of consequences. I also wondered which rules he was talking about, considering there were so many rules this agency have. I opened my mouth to inquire, but my boss beat me to the punch.

"You know I don't tolerate any excuses, no matter what," he continued.

"Yes sir," I nodded as I forced myself not to gulp down in fear. I am slowly beginning to dislike this Thursday morning.

"Are you prepared for any consequences for your action?" Miyazawa-san asked with a smirk that somehow struck fear into my wildly beating heart.

"…Yes sir," I mumbled, and vaguely wondered if he could hear my loud heart beats.

It was for our safety that most, if not all, young idols have to adopt dual identities in this agency: one for his or her civilian life, and the other as his or her idol life. It was also a rule that we were not supposed to reveal our identities to anyone, aside from our family, which happened to be a rule that I had broken. Although in my defense, it was not my fault that my former teammates and former rivals… and maybe along with all the Kanto region's students now knew, and it all started with Niou. After that, everything just went downhill like a snowball.

"You do remember the contract that you signed, don't you?" my boss asked with an eyebrow raised.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to remember the said contract that I signed two years ago. Suddenly, I could not help but feel that I signed away my life to the devil. "…Yes sir," I finally grounded out, and wondered why he was bringing that up.

"We can't just take you out of the entertainment world since you're famous, and the fans love you," he started with a chuckle. "I wouldn't want to cause any suspicions amongst the media, and whatnot,"

I had never felt more relieved than I was at this moment, because I honestly thought I would be fired. I'll have to remember not to mess up again, and remember that this dual identities business was for my own sake. Note to self: Stay away from Niou-kun.

"However, you do realize that we can't have you going around, having a relationship," my boss continued solemnly with a stern look, "It says so in the contract on section 3, line 5, subdivision 9,"

"Of course sir," I could not help but complied with what he said, even though I did not remember what was exactly written in the contract. I inwardly sighed, and wondered what else he was going to add. Then again... I wondered how he knew I have a relationship... he was not having someone stalk after me, was he? My poor soul cannot take this kind of torture.

"How do you feel about cross dressing?" Miyazawa-san inquired out of the blue, and I just looked at him with my eyes almost popping out its sockets, and my jaw promptly resting on the ground.

"HUH!?"

"That's your punishment," my boss stated with a devil-may-care smirk, and glanced at a folder before he eyed at me again. "For your _Junon_ magazine, you're taking it with some of your friends, correct?" he questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"…Yes?" I gulped nervously and tried to gauge what he was planning as best as I could.

"I will approve of this proposal," Miyazawa-san started with an even bigger smirk, if that was possible, and I sighed in relieve yet again at that. "But," he continued, and purposely paused for the longest period of time that my heart could not help but race wildly again.

"I will approve of your proposal to have a photo shoot with your friends with _Junon_, on the condition that, you," he clarified as he pointed his expensive pen at me, "cross dress as a girl, and that none of your friends or anyone aside from your managers know that it's you. Unless it is for your activities as JIROU, you are to remain as a girl for one month, and if anyone asks you, your name is Yuki. That is your punishment. You're lucky that I won't be stopping your activities, and remember, whether you are posing as a girl or not, you are bounded by this agency's rules,"

"…Yes sir…" I mumbled dejectedly, and finally asked, "Why am I cross dressing…?"

"Haven't you been listening to what I said?" Miyazawa-san sighed as he rubbed his temple, and explained again, "It's your punishment for revealing your identity to practically everyone. It won't be long before the media and paparazzi finds out. Who do you think will be handling those when the time comes? Not you, that's for sure. Besides, I'll need some sort of entertainment to amuse me if I'm going to be stressed like that. You just happened be at the right place at the right time,"

"………" Screw it, I truly dislike this Thursday now.

* * *

I sat in my dresser with my hair stylist, and my make-up artist, getting ready for the photo shoot. On the table in front of me laid a wig, a front-lace wig to be exact. I came to the studio dressed as a girl, and my stylists could not stop gushing about how feminine I was. That was a blow to my male pride, you know.

'Darn you, Miyazawa-san,' I scowled as I put on my earring, necklace, bracelet, and rings. As soon as I was done, I put on my contacts before I grabbed a set of clothes that I was to change into.

"At least it's not permanent," I muttered as I readjusted my belt, and grabbed a black and white pleated shirt before I walked out of the fitting room. I gave a slight nod of gratitude towards the stylists, and walked to the set as I put on the pleated attire over my white T-shirt.

The set consisted of autumn backdrops overlapping one another with some leaves scattered on the floor. I waited by the buffet table while I watched the camera crew and the lighting crews adjusted the equipments. I grabbed a small apple, and haphazardly sat on a sofa nearby.

I leaned against the furniture, and took a bite of the apple. Oh yeah, it certainly feels good to be guy-like. After all, being 'lady-like' is not me, but punishment is punishment. One of these days, revenge will be mine, Miyazawa-san.

'But how…' I mused as I took another bite of the fruit. When I noticed my surrounding, a couple of photographers were taking various photos of me, and the three regulars who were supposed to take a picture of me were standing behind the overly enthusiastic director.

"Shall we get started?" I suggested calmly as I stood up from my spot, and did not give Atobe a chance to say anything. "Please treat me well," I stated with a bow towards the staff, and the director.

"Jirou--" Atobe started, but I just gave him a glance before I walked over to the set.

When I passed by him, I stated quietly, "Work is work, Atobe-_san_. Please don't bring personal issues on the set,"

"Ah, Jirou-san, you're all set?" Sakura-san inquired as she approached towards me with a binder in her hands. "You certainly look much better like this; but it's too bad that you tried escaping _it_ twenty-seven times, and ended up getting caught twenty-seven times,"

"You don't have to remind me," I cringed when I remembered the _torture_ yesterday. That's right… I tried to escape my cross dressing deed yesterday, but I ended up getting caught by various staff-san. I did not think that they would gladly participate, and wanted to see me as a girl that badly. Even my senpai-tachi from the agency offered to help the staff-san… those sadists. I thought we were friends.

* * *

"So Jirou-san, I heard that you were punished for breaking some rules," my photographer stated as I stood next to Tezuka-san. We were standing in front of the backdrops casually with our hands in our pockets.

"Must everyone talk about it?" I sighed exasperatedly, and ran one hand through my hair. "Yes, I got punished for breaking some rules. At least I'm not suspended from my activities," I explained with a deep sigh, and changed into another simple yet elegant pose. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Atobe, and Niou looking at me with confused expressions.

"How severe is it?" my photographer inquired with an eyebrow raised. He silently directed me to slightly tilt my body so that my right side was facing the camera.

"It's a blow to my male pride, that's all I'm saying," I scoffed with a scowl, but quickly changed the expression into a smile when I remembered that the photographer was still taking pictures.

"I would like to have a picture of it," Sakura-san added with a giggle.

I immediately looked her with horror, even if my photo shoot was still ongoing, and stated in scandalous tone, "Sakura-san! Must you add salt to the wound?"

"But Jirou-san, you're so--" she started but I quickly interrupted.

"Don't even say the 'p' word," I said with a gesture to stop her sentence, and added, "Not even the 'b', 'f', 'g' words. Don't think of sneaking a picture either,"

"Awww, it would have been a great addition to the photo books," Sakura-san sighed wistfully.

"If anything, I would have liked to just hermit under a rock this whole month," I grumbled as the photo session with Tezuka-kun finished. "Thanks for coming," I stated to him as I readjusted my shirt.

"Ah," that was all he said.

"Well, Miyazawa-san has overbooked you with various activities, so you can't just hermit the month away," my manager said with a nervous laughter as she flipped through the binder to check. "Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it," she stated cheerfully.

"Yeah, well, it's not going as fast as I would've liked," I sighed yet again when the director-san told me to take a 15-minute break, so I could clear my head.

* * *

I walked over to the couch and laid down with a cool cloth covering my eyes. "Sakura-san, what's my schedule for today?" I called out, and I heard paper rustling nearby.

"After this, you have a drama shooting," she stated after a few seconds of silence, and when I uttered my confusion, she explained, "You know, the one Miyazawa-san signed you up as the second half of your punishment. Well, this is just a formality… you're meeting with your co-stars, and have lunch with them. Personally, I think you are ready for your acting career,"

"Just because I tend to sing emotional songs," I started as I slowly sat up, and let the cloth slipped down my face to land on my lap. "It doesn't mean that I _want_ to be in a drama," I continued with a sigh before I extended my hand towards her, "Let me see the script,"

"It's about two hours long episode," Sakura-san explained as she handed me the script. I noticed from the corner of my eyes that Niou, Atobe, and even Tezuka were eyeing at me curiously, despite the fact that, both tennis captains did not show it.

"Luckily, if you decide to see it that way, you're only in there for that episode," my manager chimed happily, and I merely sighed dejectedly before I gave the script back to her. "Anyways, after lunch, you have _Ouran High School Host Club_ event, and then… an hour break before you start the first shooting for the drama. You're free as soon as the shooting is done,"

"How…fabulous," I commented dryly before I tossed the cool cloth on the sofa, and walked back to the set. "Alright people, let's wrap this up," I stated with a new burst of energy. I figured… the sooner I finished this, the sooner I could get to my next appointment, and finished everything on my list. That way, I would be able to get home quicker.

Atobe walked towards the set, and sent a worried glance towards me, but I merely brushed aside his concern. "Why are you avoiding Ore-sama?" he muttered as he stood next to me, and sent a slightly hurt gaze towards me.

"I'm not avoiding you," I responded in a low tone, and moved onto a different pose. "I'm just busy," I stated as if it was the best excuse I could come up with.

"Then why haven't you been answering my calls?" he prodded with a scowl, and copied my pose.

"I haven't had the time," I answered with a small shrug, and stated, "Now, please stop talking about our personal relationship at work,"

* * *

It has only been two days since my boss had told me to cross dress, and assume the identity of 'Yuki'. I let out a small scowl as I sat by the window at a café I usually goes to before my work. However, today was one of the rare days that I was free; thus, here I am… enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and some pastries.

It just so happened that a couple of tables away from me were some of the Hyoutei regulars. Specifically, Atobe, Oshitari, Ootori, Shishido, and Mukahi… the latter two were arguing rather heatedly about which coffee brand was better. It was rather random and futile argument, but at the same time… that was so like Shishido, and Mukahi.

I, as per punishment, was dressed like a girl; that included, the wig, temporary double eyelid (so that I actually look somewhat different), fake long eyelashes, make-up, manicure, pedicure, hair removal treatment (also known as waxing), and fake breasts. Yes, the whole painful process, which I tried escaping twenty-seven times, and I got caught twenty-seven times. That's just a painful blow to my male pride.

As for sounding like a girl, it was not hard for me because of my occupation. After all, I took vocal lessons to become a singer, and a voice actor. Aside from that, what crept me out was how the regulars would not stop eyeing at me. I inwardly snorted as I took a sip of the warm drink, and reminded myself that they were, in the end, hormonal raged males. Then again…

'What in the world am I thinking! I'm a guy too!!' I reminded myself, and crossed my legs as I told myself to act like a girl because females definitely do not sit with their legs spread apart. "Ah man, this is hard," I mumbled that phrase for the hundredth time in the past two days.

"So why is a pretty girl like you doing in a café all alone?" Oshitari asked with a smirk. Was I supposed to fall for his 'seductively sexy smirk'? I did not even notice or hear him walking to my table, let alone see him sitting across from me. From the corner of my eyes though, I saw Mukahi hide his face behind his hand in exasperation, and Ootori shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Having breakfast, and trying to stay away from perverted guys like you," I answered in a rather feminine tone that would have brought my vocal instructor to shame. Heck, even I was awed at how feminine I sounded. My male pride… gone in two days. A couple of tables away, Mukahi, and Shishido laughed rather loudly at the tensai's failed attempt to flirt. I would have snickered, but that would have been un-lady like. I inwardly snorted yet again at my own trail of thoughts.

But then again… I might as well have fun, and mess with the regulars' head in this disguise. After all, I still have to endure this torture for another twenty-five days. Oh dear god… I think I am becoming a sadist.

"You know, you remind me of a friend of mine," Oshitari continued as he eyed at me in rather scrutinizing ways that I could not help but think that he was undressing me with his eyes. Oh my dear god, that just sounded horribly wrong.

"Oh really?" I responded civilly as I swirled my drink around, and glanced at the tensai. "What makes you think that?"

"You both look similar to one another," he answered calmly with a confused expression on his face.

"I…see…" that was all I said, whilst I inwardly wondered what in the world he was thinking.

"Would you mind telling me your name?" Oshitari inquired with what it might be a flirtatious smirk. I mentally scoffed at his another attempt to flirt with me, but nevertheless, I decided to amuse him.

"It's Tanaka Yuki," I responded after racking my brain for a bit. Well, 'Tanaka' is a common last name if I was not mistaken, and 'Yuki' was the name Miyazawa-san said I should use.

"Oshitari Yuushi," he introduced, even though I already knew who he is. However, he does not know that I know, so it might actually be fun playing around with them. Heavens above, help me; I cannot believe that I am actually trying to have fun, and getting used to being a girl.

* * *

I let out a tired groan when I heard my cell phone ringing endlessly for the past thirty seconds. I tried to find the noisy electronic without moving from my spot, and without opening my eyes. After a couple of failed attempts, I flipped the device opened without bothering to look at the caller (mainly because that would require me opening my eyes, which meant waking up). "…Hello…?" I answered incoherently, and snuggled deeper into my warm blankets.

I nearly dozed off again, until I heard some unsettling news that immediately woke me up. "What did you say?" I remarked alarmingly as I sat up from my warm and comfortable bed. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and inwardly groaned at how it was still early. The sun was not even up yet, and here I am, talking on the phone when I was supposed to be sleeping.

"But it's only been two weeks since you issued the _ordeal_," I whined as I fell back on the bed, and let out a deep sigh. "Why are you suspending me? I didn't break any rules," I grumbled about how unfair he was being, and crawled back under the blankets.

"Wow, there are rumors about Yuki already? How did that get out? Better yet, how did the word get out I'm cross dressing?" I gaped in surprised. If I had been drinking something, I was sure I would have sprayed it all over my bed.

"This is so not cool," I grumbled at the news, and sighed depressingly. "So how long am I suspended for? Two weeks? Do I still have cross dress? Aw man! I'm still getting paid, right? I better. Well, at least the drama shooting just finished last night,"

I pulled the blanket over my head as I listened to my boss rambling on the other line, and idly nodded in agreement at some parts before we both hung up to go back to sleep. "I can't believe some idiot decided to reveal to everyone that the idol JIROU cross dresses as a girl. Che… I can't believe I'm suspended for two weeks when I didn't do anything," I muttered darkly under my breath, and put my cell phone back on the nightstand. "At least I have more time to sleep, and maybe I should go to Hyoutei to explain that I _am_ Yuki… nah…"

* * *

**Note:** This the end of A Second Chance; the ending is what I was not expecting. There is a prequel written for this ("Broken Connections"), and a sequel ("Lost Pride").


End file.
